A haemorrhagic syndrome in recently weaned pigs ascribed to hypovitaminosis K

An outbreak of a haemorrhagic syndrome involved recently weaned, mixed-breed pigs in a large piggery. The pigs were fed a pelleted complete ration containing antibacterial drugs. Affected pigs failed to grow, became pale and developed large, subcutaneous haematomas. Some pigs became lame and one had epistaxis. The monthly mortality rate in the weaner house, which was previously less than 2%, exceeded 6% during the outbreak. Coagulation time, activated partial thromboplastin time and prothrombin time were prolonged in blood from some of the pigs. The outbreak resolved promptly after supplementation of the diet with vitamin K3.