On-demand: Webinar on vitamin D3 deficiency in fattening pigs
Vitamin D is crucial for finishing pigs to thrive – for instance to ensure decent growth performance or muscle development. Now how to know whether all finishers did get the required amounts of vitamin D? And how to provide adequate levels if necessary? A webinar on September 26 provided the answers. It is now available to watch on-demand.
Click here to view the webinar
The webinar was held in cooperation with DSM-Firmenich Animal Nutrition and Health and was broadcasted on September 26, 2024. In total 3 speakers shared their views. Rewatching the webinar is possible free of charge.
Why vitamin D is crucial for pigs
First speaker was Dr Maruf Hasan, presenting a study which he did when he was attached to the Research Institute of Farm Animal Biology, Dummerstorf, Germany. He started out by giving a brief re-cap of what vitamin D exactly is – a vitamin that is crucial for the proper functioning of cells and systems in the body.
Especially vitamin D3 matters in this context, also known as cholecalciferol, which again is a precursor for the 25-OH-D3 storage form, also known as calcidiol. This can be used by the animals when it is turned into calcitriol. Providing animals with this storage form of calciciol instead of vitamin D leads to “a significant improvement in growth performance and muscle development, ” concluded Dr Hasan.
Determining vitamin D3 status of finishing pigs
Next up was Verane Gigaud, marketing and business development at the department of special nutrients, EMEA within DSM-Firmenich. She introduced Verax DBS Analytics, which is an evaluation system offered by DSM-Firmenich which can accurately determine vitamin D3 status of finishing pigs using a few drops of blood.
Knowing the status also allows adjustments – if necessary – as 64% of all assessed finishing pigs have been deficient or insufficient in vitamin D3 levels. Lameness, she said, is the biggest concern for swine farmers.
How to improve vitamin D3 status in finishing pigs
Closing speaker at the webinar was Dr Jon Bergstrom, senior technical support, swine solutions, North America at DSM-Firmenich. He spoke about how to improve the vitamin D status can be improved using dietary supplementation of 25-OH-D3.
It will improve calcium and phosphorus utilisation (30 ng/mL) and support both muscle/bone development, as well as immunity (60 ng/mL).
Click here to view the webinar
