Elderly sow behaviour change

[Dianet]

Hi, I'm just after advice if I should be more concerned about a change in my sows behaviour. I have two sisters, Ebony and Ruby who are five years old and have lived happily together since babies. However, over the last few weeks Ruby has started being very dominant with Ebony and chases her rumbling constantly. There's no aggression and Ebony seems to take it in her stride but I was wondering if there could be something wrong with Ruby. They both seem healthy and are eating and drinking as normal so hopefully its just that she's got grumpy in her old age .

 

[Wiebke]

Hi! Please have your sow vet checked for ovarian cysts.

Sows are engineered to be nonstop pregnant and to die young either in birth or from being worn out. That is why hormone production never slows down or stops and can become an inceasing problem as sows age. Thankfuly the majority of ovarian cysts never cause trouble. What you are noticing is your sow being season all the time, which is hard on her body and stressful on the relationship in the longer term. Please keep an eye on her weight; it usually leads to a noticable weight loss. You do not necessarily need to see other symptoms connected with ovarian cysts like crusty nipples or hair loss on the sides of the belly.

There are now alternatives to a full spaying operation in the form of a course hormone injections or hormone implants. Large ovarian cysts in older/frail sows can be drained without GA; this is not a permanent solution, but one that works for months and is a viable alternative especially for non-hormonal large ovarian cysts.