Post-weaning diarrhea is a major welfare and production challenge in pig farming, with growing pressure to reduce antibiotic use driving innovation in nutrition, vaccination, and management approaches.
Post-weaning diarrhea causes acute suffering through dehydration, intestinal pain, and systemic illness. Severe cases result in death within 24-48 hours if untreated. The transition from sow milk to solid feed combined with a new social environment creates extreme stress that predisposes to disease. Reducing antibiotic dependence requires holistic management approaches that address the underlying welfare challenges of early weaning rather than simply substituting one treatment for another. Higher welfare weaning systems with later weaning ages show reduced disease incidence.