An on-farm study to determine the effects of oral administration of meloxicam post farrowing on sow body temperature and preweaning piglet performance

Objective: Evaluate the effects of a novel oral drench suspension formulation of meloxicam on sow body temperature within 24 hours post farrowing, piglet survivability, and piglet growth. Materials and methods: A total of 837 sows in a commercial farm were randomly assigned to either receive a single, 90-mg dose (6 mL of a 1.5% suspension) of meloxicam via oral drench upon completion of farrowing (MEL; n = 419) or no treatment post farrowing (CON; n = 418). Rectal temperatures were recorded at the end of farrowing, and 12 and 24 hours post farrowing. Farm protocol required sows with a rectal temperature ≥ 39.67°C to receive flunixin and ampicillin for 3 days (FA; n = 243). Litter size and weight were recorded on day 0 and before weaning, with daily tracking of piglet mortality and causes. Results: Meloxicam reduced sow rectal temperatures by 0.08°C in the first 12 hours post farrowing (P = .03). Additionally, MEL+FA sows (n = 119) tended to have lower rectal temperatures by 0.15°C in the first 12 hours after farrowing (P = .09). Treating parity 1 sows with MEL reduced preweaning diarrhea in piglets compared to CON (18.5% vs 33.8%, respectively; P < .01). Meloxicam did not significantly impact preweaning mortality or piglet growth performance. Implications: This study exhibited the ability of a single dose of meloxicam administered to the sow at farrowing to reduce fever within the first 12 hours of dosing and its potential to reduce the incidence of preweaning diarrhea in nursing piglets.