Healthy Sows. Strong Piglets. A Successful Start.

03/03/2026

Home » Healthy Sows. Strong Piglets. A Successful Start.

Sows and their piglets face numerous challenges, including larger litters, often insufficient feed intake, poor body condition and an increased risk of neonatal diarrhea. At weaning, piglets are switched to cereal-based feed even though their digestive system is not yet fully developed. This frequently leads to digestive disorders, which are further intensified by the additional stress of regrouping. The resulting disease pressure can reduce appetite and impair piglet growth.

DOSTO® Oregano Oil supports animals during this sensitive phase by improving feed intake and nutrient digestibility, while transferring valuable oregano components directly to the piglets via the sow’s milk.

Why Oregano? Why DOSTO®?

Oregano is one of the strongest known plants when it comes to natural defense mechanisms. Its essential oil contains highly active components with antimicrobial, antioxidant, antiprotozoal and digestion‑enhancing properties.

At DOSTOFARM^® , the essential oregano oil is produced from our own controlled cultivation. From seed to final product we ensure:

🌿 selection of the ideal plant variety
🌿 optimal harvest timing
🌿 gentle processing
🌿 standardized oil quality

This close relationship to the plant ensures safety — for our products, for the animals and for everyone relying on trustworthy natural solutions.

Support During the Lactation Phase

Two independent trials examined the effects of supplementing DOSTO® Oregano Oil during late gestation and lactation, as well as its direct inclusion in creep feed for suckling piglets. The studies focused on sow feed intake, body condition, piglet gastrointestinal health and weaning performance.

Trial 1, conducted in 2013 at Wageningen University (Netherlands)
Sows received 500 g of DOSTO® powder per tonne of feed from one week before farrowing until weaning. Piglets additionally received 500 g of DOSTO^® powder per tonne of milk replacer from day 2 to day 10.

Trial 2, conducted in 2021 on a research farm in North‑West Germany
Sows received the same feeding protocol as in Trial 1. Piglets were fed 1000 g of DOSTO^® powder per tonne in prestarter feed from day 5 to weaning.

Zootechnical performance:

In both studies, DOSTO^® improved performance by increasing the number of weaned piglets. In Trial 2, oregano‑fed sows showed higher feed intake and lower weight loss during the 28‑day lactation period.

Milk quality and diarrhea occurrence

GC/MS analysis confirmed the presence of carvacrol in the milk of supplemented sows, demonstrating efficient transfer of oregano essential oil to the piglets. This corresponded with a 50.77% reduction in somatic cell count and improved gut health indicators, including significantly reduced diarrhea scores and fewer treatments.

Statistics frequency of diarrhea in piglets — Mean values with different superscript letters in a row (a, b) differ significantly at p<0.05

A Smooth Transition at Weaning

A controlled university studies was conducted to evaluate the effects of DOSTO® Oregano based products on growth performance and nutrient utilization in weaned piglets.

In this Trial (Free University of Berlin, 2017) weaned piglets were feed with 75 g DOSTO® Concentrate 500 / t feed from day 25 to 38 of age and 150 g DOSTO® Concentrate 500 / t feed from day 39 to 66 of age.

Zootechnical performance:

Piglets receiving DOSTO® Concentrate 500 demonstrated statistically significant improvements in zootechnical performance, including enhanced growth rates, despite optimal housing conditions:

Piglet live weight gain statistics — Means with different superscripts in one row (a, b) are significantly different at p<0.05

Nutrient digestibility

Digestibility analyses indicated improved utilization of protein and fat, suggesting a positive effect of oregano oil on digestive efficiency.

Statistik - Ferkel - ileale Verdaulichkeit — Means with different superscripts in one row (a, b) are significantly different at p<0.05

Conclusion

Across university trials and commercial farm conditions, supplementation with DOSTO® Oregano products has been shown to:

Improve digestive function, gut health and nutrient utilisation
Enhance performance across all stages of pig production
Strengthen natural resilience against stress and digestive challenges
Provide a consistent, research-backed phytogenic solution for modern swine production

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