Copper deficiency is a chronic nutritional and metabolic disease caused by insufficient copper content in diet. The clinical manifestations are anemia, cardiac hypertrophy and coat fading. Primary copper deficiency is mainly caused by insufficient copper content in feed. In addition, sulfur, zinc, cadmium, silver, manganese, boron and ascorbic acid are all antagonistic factors to copper. When the feed contains too much of these substances, it is not conducive to the absorption of copper, and it is also easy to cause copper deficiency. When copper is deficient, sick pigs grow slowly, their appetite decreases or disappears, diarrhea, dehydration, fur damage, heart hypertrophy and anemia. Dyskinesia of muscles, abnormal appearance of limbs, excessive flexion of tarsal joints, squatting posture, bending of forelimbs, showing "bow legs"; In severe cases, it is often because the forelimbs can't bear the weight and can't afford to lie down.

The prevention of the disease mainly lies in improving diet structure and feeding complete feed. The requirement of copper per kilogram of dry feed for piglets is12 ~15mg, and that for other pigs within 20kg is 6 ~10mg.

Treatment: Oral copper preparation can quickly eliminate symptoms. Oral administration of copper sulfate 20 ~ 30mg per day 1 time for 15 ~ 20 days can eliminate symptoms. If copper and cobalt are taken together, the therapeutic effect can be improved.