FieldDxThin Sow SyndromeClinical signs, differential diagnosis, treatment and prevention in pigs.
Overview
Progressive, unexplained weight loss in breeding sows. Usually multifactorial: inadequate nutrition relative to the demands of repeated lactation, sometimes compounded by chronic disease or parasitism.
Clinical signs
- Within a herd, thin sow syndrome develops over a period of months and often one or two pregnancy cycles, with a gradually decline in the body condition of the group until 20% to 30% of sows have a low body-condition…
Predisposing factors
- It emerged as a problem in the 1970s as a result of poor understanding of the interrelation between feed intake in pregnancy and that in lactation.
Treatment
- High-quality, high-energy ad-lib feeding in warm, suitable housing; addressing underlying parasitism or chronic disease.
- Once weight loss is severe enough to cause a catatonic state, treatment is usually unsuccessful and culling is preferable.
Prevention
Feeding During Pregnancy Currently the risk for thin sow syndrome exists where it is assumed that all pregnant sows can be fed a standard amount of ration. Problems are likely to occur when sows are run in groups and fed as a group, where timid sows are likely to be bullied out of their required share of food.
Source
A Textbook of the Diseases of Cattle, Horses, Sheep, Pigs and Goat by ELSEVIER — Thin Sow Syndrome
MSD Veterinary Manual — Nutritional Diseases of Swine (accessed 2026-08-11)
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