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Effect of Altrenogest and Lutalyse on Parturition Control, Plasma Progesterone, Unconjugated Estrogen and 13,14-Dihydro-15-Ketoprostaglandin F₂ in Sows

U.S. Department of Agriculture^,4, Beltsville, MD 20705 University of Delaware^,5, Newark 19711 and University of Maryland^,6, College Park 20742

Abstract

To investigate control of parturition time, 154 sows farrowing 220 litters at three locations were treated with altrenogest and Lutalyse (PG). The four treatment groups were: 1) no treatment (control group); 2) an im injection of 15 mg of PG at 1000 on d 111,112 or 113 of gestation (d 0= first day of estrus and gestation); 3) altrenogest (20 mg·sow^–1 ·d^–1) fed twice daily for 4 d starting on d 109, 110 or 111; and 4) altrenogest and an injection of PG at 1000 on the day after the last feeding of altrenogest. Control sows at the University of Delaware (UD), University of Maryland (UM) and USDA, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC) had mean gestation lengths of 113.5, 114.2 and 115.7 d and live pigs/litter were 10.5, 11.0 and 7.4, respectively. Altrenogest started by d 110 prevented unscheduled early farrowing and increased (P<.01) gestation length by 1.7 and 1.1 d, respectively, at UD and UM, but had no effect at BARC. The time from PG to parturition was 24.3, 22.6 and 34.4 h, respectively, at UD, UM and BARC. More sows at UD and UM farrowed between 0700 and 1700 on the expected day of parturition after injection of PG (59.3%) than with no PG (20.7%; P<.05). The high incidence of small litters (<six pigs) from sows inseminated with frozen semen at BARC resulted in negative correlations of live pigs/litter with gestation length (r = –.533, P = .0001) and with time from PG injection to birth of first pig (r = –.425, P = .017); these correlations were not significant at UD and UM where only natural service was used. The percentage of pigs born alive, live litter weight at birth, percentage of live pigs surviving to 21 d postpartum and litter weight at 21 d postpartum did not differ significantly among treatments at each location after data were adjusted by covariance analysis for number of pigs born/litter. These results indicate that feeding altrenogest to prevent parturition before injection of PG can provide more efficient scheduling of parturition in sows.

¹ Reprod. Lab., Anim. Sci. Inst., Agr. Res. Serv. We gratefully acknowledge Benny Erez, Jennings C. Foskey, Ralph Lowe, Ronald J. Ross and William Uttermann for skilled technical assistance; Roussel-UCLAF, Paris, France and Dr. Stephen Webel, Animal Reproduction Associates, Cropsey, IL, for providing altrenogest; Joseph F. McAllister, The Upjohn Co., Kalamazoo, MI, for providing Lutalyse; Dr. K. T. Kirton, The Upjohn Co., for providing PGFM antiserum (reference 11.56O-JCC-14OO); Dr. J. E. Pike, The Upjohn Co., for providing 13,14-dihydro-15-keto-prostaglandin F₂, (PGFM U-37809, lot no. 12874-JHK-136A oil); and Dr. R. A. Waterman, Reprod. Lab., for graphics computer programs.

² Delaware Agr. Exp. Sta., Dept. Anim. Sci., Univ. of Delaware, Newark, DE 19711.

³ Dept. Anim. Sci., Univ. of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742.

⁴ Mention of companies or products in this report does not constitute endorsement by the USDA to the exclusion of others not mentioned.

⁵ Published as paper no. 1161 of the Delaware Agr. Exp. Sta., Newark.

⁶ Published as paper no A4585 of the Maryland Agr. Exp. Sta., College Park.