FerAppease Swine (click here for link)

Written by AKKPS Member Debra Allen of Allen's Acres

WHAT IS IT & WHAT IS IT USED FOR?

• FerAppease Swine’  is a naturally occurring substance that helps reduce fear and stress and its negative effects on pigs. 
• Each ml of solution contains 35 mg of MSAS (maternal swine appeasing substance) secreted by the sebaceous glands of the mammary system. MSAS induces an appeasing effect on nursing piglets. 
• Studies have demonstrated that the use of MSAS before animals were exposed to stressful events reduced the levels of cortisol, inflammatory markers, and body weight loss associated with these events.
• ‘FerAppease’ should be considered for use every time animals are exposed to management and physiological stressors; stressful management events such as weaning, castration, vaccination, hoof trimming, grouping, processing, transportation, commingling, farrowing, etc; stressful physiological events such as pregnancy. 
• FerAppease Swine dramatically lowers aggressive behavior. 
• Applied to the nose and forehead.
• ‘FerAppease’ is not a drug. 
• It doesn’t require a prescription. 
• It has no withdrawal time for slaughter. 
• A related product for cattle has been used for some time with great success. 

Additional benefits are:

• Stimulation of feeding behaviors in weaned pigs
• Reduced fighting in weaned pigs
• Increase in average daily gain and feed efficiency in weaned pigs
• Reduced aggressiveness in sows at commingling (returning a sow back to a herd). 

‘FerAppease’ Directions: 

• For use in healthy pigs by topical administration to the skin above the muzzle and forehead. 
• Piglets - Apply 3 ml
• Adult pigs – Apply 10 ml. 
• Treatment is active for 14 days after a single application.

HOW IT WORKS & POSITIVE EFFECTS

• Pigs are prey animals that have evolved, like other domestic livestock species, to perceive threats and take preventive action. Fight or flight. In threatening situations, the amygdala of the brain and the hypothalamus are over-stimulated and trigger short and long-term effects. 
• Under current farming conditions, threat perception serves little to no purpose. Fear can lead to stress, and eventually to increased mortality, morbidity, and lost productivity. 
• The vomeronasal gland in pigs is directly linked to the amygdala and hypothalamus. 
• MSAS is assimilated by the vomeronasal gland which sends signals to the brain to reduce threat perception and therefore the resulting consequences. 
• Research studies have shown the use of MSAS has the following positive effects:In weaned pigs
  • Stimulation of feeding behavior
  • Reduced fighting
  • Increased weight gain and feed efficiency 

  In adult pigs

  • Reduced aggressiveness at commingling
  • Lower number of aggressive events
  • Total and average duration of aggression is reduced