Effect of supplementary feeding during the sucking period on net absorption from the small intestine of weaned pigs.

An intestinal perfusion technique was used to measure the effects of supplementary feeding (experiment 1) and temporary weaning (experiment 2) during the sucking period on the net absorption of fluid, sodium, chloride and potassium from the small intestine of pigs after weaning. The technique was also applied to control pigs which did not receive supplementary feed and were not temporarily weaned during the sucking period. Paired intestinal segments were prepared at five sites along the small intestine in each of 80 pigs in experiment 1 and 36 pigs in experiment 2. The cranial segment of each pair was infected with enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC). In both experiments, four days after weaning, the net absorption of fluid, sodium and chloride in the uninfected segments was in general significantly less in all the pigs than at weaning or seven, 11 and 14 days after weaning and it was significantly greater in the pigs given supplementary feed than in the other pigs. Net absorption values in the infected segments of the control pigs were less four days after weaning than on the day of weaning. No differences were found between pigs that were temporarily weaned or not and those that were not fed during the sucking period. Supplementary feeding during the sucking period partially prevented the decrease of net absorption usually observed after weaning in uninfected and in ETEC-infected segments of intestine.