If you have been caring for pigs for a week or all your life, then you were taught on day one to check on three basic pig needs every time chores are done. That swine trinity of needs is ventilation, water, and feed. Pigs cannot survive if these basic needs go unmet. I recently came across two out-of-water situations at farms, which made me think this would
be a good topic for an article.

First, let’s look at some of the causes of out-of-water events. Here is a list of what I have seen while working with pigs and pig barns.
• Plugged nipples
• Plugged water lines
• Frozen water lines
• Broken fittings and water lines
• Power outage
• Pigs stuck on a truck during a snowstorm
• Human error

Whatever the reason for the out-of-water event, the sooner we catch it, the better. If it can be determined that the event started less than 24 hours ago, then we are likely looking at a  loss in performance. We all know that without water, pigs will stop eating and growing. The problem should be fixed in this case, and the pigs should recover with no issues. One recent real-life example was iso wean pigs delivered after being on a truck for eight hours. In the evening, they were unloaded into the barn for the night. The next morning, pigs were to be sorted and thoroughly checked for issues. At this time, it was discovered that the water was off in half the barn due to the replacement of leaky nipples before the new pigs showed up. The water was turned on, and the pigs were fine.

After the 24-hour mark, out-of-water becomes a bigger problem and should be dealt with differently. The longer the pigs go without water, the better the chance of salt poisoning. The signs of salt poisoning are very similar to those of a pig with strep. Allowing these pigs unlimited access to water will only make the situation worse. These pigs need water introduced gradually by turning the water on and off again, keeping pigs from crowding the waterer before restoring unlimited access. For instance, provide water for thirty minutes, turn it off for thirty minutes, and repeat until the pigs are satisfied. My experience in this case comes from a three-room nursery where the producer had just finished using the medicator and inadvertently missed turning one of the valves back on. The pigs in one room went without water for two days, leaving them noticeably gaunt and wandering. Unrestricted water was restored, and 2% of the pigs were lost by evening. If these pigs had been slowly hydrated, the result may have been performance loss only and not pig loss.

In conclusion, remember the basics of ventilation, water, and feed. It can be easy to take these systems for granted. In the case of water, remember to rehydrate the pigs appropriately to avoid an even worse outcome.