Author(s): Argana Ajay, Sakshi Vaishnav, Tapendra Saini, Ajoy Das, Babita Mishra, Ayon Tarafdar and Anuj Chauhan

Abstract: Pigs are more sensitive to harsh impacts of heat stress among livestock species due to their inherent features such as a smaller number of sweat glands, presence of subcutaneous fat, inefficient panting and small lungs. The present investigation was done at Swine Production Farm, ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute to explore the serum biochemical and metabolic changes in Landlly crossbred pigs amidst of increasing air temperature (AT) and Relative humidity (RH). A total of 24 Landlly crossbred pigs in grower stage with uniform body weight were selected and randomly divided into two as heat stress (control) and heat stress alleviated (treatment) groups. Both groups were housed in same confined shed whereas a sensor-based cooling system was installed in second pen to minimize the heat stress effects. Major micro-climatic variables viz, AT, RH and temperature humidity index (THI) was recorded twice daily in both pens. Mean AT, RH and THI around the micro-climate was 32.6±0.15℃, 72.4±0.19% and 80±0.24 respectively. The study was conducted during 4 months (June-September, 2023) and serum biochemical- metabolic parameters such as Total protein (TP), Urea nitrogen (UN), Total cholesterol (TCHO) and Glucose (GLU) were estimated at 21 days interval for all the animals. During each stage of investigation, the treatment group animals provided with cooling assistance outperformed the control group animals. The control group exhibited elevated TP, serum urea nitrogen and TCHO levels (p<0.001) during the hot-dry period of the summer season, when high AT were more prevalent than RH. In contrast, glucose levels (p<0.001) consistently fell below the optimal range, with a noticeable influence of RH during heat stress in pigs. During the latter months, when relative humidity was higher, glucose levels were lower compared to the initial months. Thus, the biochemical and metabolic alterations during heat stress in pigs can be nurtured as critical indicators to assess the physiological status and animal welfare.

DOI: 10.33545/26174693.2024.v8.i6Sg.1369