Topical wound-care products and their effects on healing, inflammatory biomarkers, and growth in piglets undergoing castration.

Surgical castration is a routine management procedure in swine production that raises welfare concerns due to pain, inflammation, and risk of post-procedure complications. Topical products are commonly applied to castration wounds, but their efficacy in promoting healing and reducing inflammation has not been systematically evaluated. This study investigated and compared the efficacy of five commercially available antiseptic and barrier topical products on wound healing, inflammatory responses, and growth performance in piglets undergoing surgical castration. One hundred and ninety piglets, 3-5 days-old of age, were evaluated under the following treatments: Iodine, Oinkment®, PhytoCare®, Vetericyn®, Zinc Oxide, or intact controls (NoCast). Treatments were applied immediately after castration (D1). Body weights were recorded at baseline (D0; day before castration) and at weaning. Blood samples were collected on days 0 (baseline), 7, and 14 for analysis of prostaglandin E₂ (PGE₂) and haptoglobin. Infrared thermography (IRT) was used to assess surface temperature. Histological evaluation of wound healing was performed on subsets of piglets on days 7 and 14. No treatment effects were observed on body weight or pre-weaning survival; castrated piglets grew similarly to intact controls. Concentrations of PGE₂ declined over time (P < 0.001) but did not differ between treatments, suggesting it may have limited utility as an inflammatory biomarker in neonatal pigs. Haptoglobin concentrations increased across all groups by days 7 and 14, including intact controls, indicating minimal specificity for castration-related inflammation. In contrast, IRT consistently distinguished castrated from intact piglets, supporting its potential as a non-invasive indicator of inflammatory responses. Histological evaluations showed expected time-dependent healing progression, with epidermal thickness correlating with wound severity, but no treatment effects were found. None of the tested topical products were superior to others in regard to wound healing or reduced systemic inflammation under a single-application protocol. While safe and without adverse effects on growth, benefits are unclear when compared to a traditional iodine treatment. The current standard operational procedure for castration requires piglets to receive Iodine after castration to reduce infection risk. Future research should explore no treatment option, repeated applications, microbial wound presence, and behavioral indicators to better evaluate post-castration wound-care strategies.