Effects of dietary electrolyte balance on sow and litter performance, blood chemistry, and urine chemistry in lactating sows.

Dietary electrolyte balance is calculated as the sum of Na and K minus Cl and is expressed in mEq/kg of diet. The manipulation of dietary electrolyte balance (dEB) to enhance lactation and reproductive performance in dairy cattle and laying hens is not a new concept. However, the effects of dEB on reproduction and lactation in sows have not been elucidated. Thus, our objective for the experiments reported herein was to determine the impact of dEB on performance of lactating sows and their litters.