DEVELOPMENT OF DIGESTIVE FUNCTION AND NUTRITION/DISEASE INTERACTIONS IN THE WEANED PIG

There are many aspects to digestive development in the young pig. These include Ie structure and function of the stomach and small intestine epithelium, digestive zcretions from the stomach, pancreas, bile and small intestine and establishment of a table commensal flora in the gut. Digestive capacity increases rapidly during the first few veeks. The piglet is able to digest significant quantities of sucrose, starch and other components not found in sows ’ milk even during the first week and can be weaned to a liet containing raw cereal, soya bean meal etc as early at 10 d of age. There is considerable evidence that digestive enzyme secretions can be substrate-induced by ‘ceding creep to suckled pigs. However there is no evidence that this significantly improves performance post-weaning. Pigs weaned at 2-4 weeks of age usually show depressed food intake during the first l-2 weeks post-weaning. Intakes can be improved by feeding liquid diets, using pelleted diets containing high levels of milk products and ensuring adequate, easily accessible water supplies. There are marked reductions in various parameters of digestive development during the first few days post-weaning. These include stunting of the villous architecture of the small intestine, reductions i