April Stools - Perstorp's role in the battle against diarrhea

Feed and drinking water hygiene
Before feed ever reaches the animal, pathogens that can cause diarrhea can use it as a breeding ground. Dosing the right mixture of organic acids to feed or drinking water has shown to stop bacterial growth and even kill these nasty pests. Many organic acids have a direct effect on pathogenic bacteria but in drinking water the drop in pH caused by them also creates an environment that is very unfavorable to pathogenic bacteria while it does not bother farm animals. Treating feed and drinking water with organic acids is all about preventing the bacteria from entering into the animal in the first place.

Feed acidification
Using feed acidifiers also make life harder on diarrhea causing pathogens. Short chain fatty acids have a direct effect on pathogens in the feed but they also have an effect on the stomach pH of the animal, making that natural barrier more effective. As an added bonus they also improve the digestibility of feed and as such improve the nutrient uptake and stool quality.

Esters of butyric acid that work in the gut
Butyric acid is well known for its positive effects on gut health. In order to have those effects it has to make it passed the stomach though. Enter esterification. Esterified butyric acid will remain intact until the animal’s intestines where the butyric acid is released to do its magic. Here it has been shown to:
• develop intestinal structures and increase villi length
• repair lesions in the intestinal mucosa
• controls enteropathogens
• supports the development of good bacteria
• etc.
All of these benefits help to keep stool quality up.

By no means do any of our solutions alone guarantee a ‘diarrhea free’ farm, but alongside good farm management in other areas will optimize your chances. We are proud to do our part in keeping farm animals healthy.