EFFECTS OF DIARRHEA ON WATER-CONSUMPTION OF PIGLETS WEANED ON THE 1STDAY AFTER BIRTH

Twenty-three Large White x Landrace piglets weaned on the first day af ter birth and kept individually in cages in a thermoneutral environmen t were offered a liquid diet similar in its macronutrient content to s ow's milk at 2 h intervals nine times a day. They were divided into tw o groups: clinically healthy piglets and diarrhoeic animals. After eac h feeding the diarrhoeic piglets were offered in addition camomile tea . Water consumption at individual feedings was measured 514 times in d iarrhoeic piglets and 441 times in the controls from 3 to 10 days afte r birth. The intake of the offered diet changed with age as was repeat edly described in our previous studies. The diarrhoeic piglets supplem ented their water consumption by intake of camomile tea only in 83 (16 .1%) cases. Therefore their mean water consumption was lower than that of the controls: by 15.8% per animal and by 9.2% and by 9.4% per live body mass unit and per metabolic mass unit, respectively. The differe nce in actual water ingestion was significant on days 5, 6, 9 and 10. Relative water consumption per live body mass of diarrhoeic piglets wa s significantly lower on day 5 and 6, but higher on day 4 and 8; that per metabolic mass unit was lower on day 5, 6, and 10, but higher on d ay 4 and 8.Diarrhoeic piglets lose more water than clinically healthy animals during the postnatal period. In our experiments they could mak e up for their water deficiency by increasing the intake of the diet a nd by additional consumption of camomile tea only relatively (expresse d per live body mass and per metabolic mass) and for a limited length of time (only on 2 out of 8 days). Diarrhoeic piglets therefore increa se their water turnover by oral ingestion, thus contributing relativel y to the compensation of water loss in a partial way, but not attainin g full compensation for the loss due to diarrhoea.