Iron is an essential substance for hemoglobin in the mature stage of red blood cells. When iron is lacking, hemoglobin formation decreases, and iron deficiency anemia occurs. The common iron deficiency anemia in veterinary clinic is anemia in suckling piglets and anemia in livestock with chronic hemorrhagic disease. These two types of anemia are indications for iron preparations.

(1) Anemia of suckling piglets: The iron intake of suckling piglets from their breast milk is far from meeting the needs of hemoglobin formation, which affects the growth and development of piglets.

Iron preparations for oral administration include ferrous sulfate, ammonium ferric citrate and blood-rich iron (iron fumarate, etc.), with ferrous sulfate being more commonly used. Dissolve ferrous sulfate105g and copper sulfate 2 1 g in1000ml of water. Apply the liquid medicine to sow's nipple and suck it when breastfeeding. Apply1~ 2 times a day.

The effect of ammonium ferric citrate is slow and weak, because it is trivalent iron and must be converted into divalent iron in gastric acid to have an effect. The daily dosage is 0.1~ 0.2g per kilogram of body weight, and it is taken in three times.

Iron preparations for injection include iron dextran and so on. Iron dextran injection used for iron deficiency anemia in piglets can quickly prevent the decrease of hemoglobin in anemia pigs and improve their condition. The dosage of this drug is100 ~ 200mg for intramuscular injection.

(2) Chronic hemorrhagic anemia in livestock is mostly caused by blood-sucking parasites, hemorrhagic enteritis, intestinal coccidiosis, vitamin C and vitamin K deficiency, among which anemia caused by blood-sucking parasites is more common. This kind of anemia should be treated with iron supplements, such as prevention and treatment of parasitic diseases.

Commonly used iron preparations are ferrous sulfate and ferrous fumarate.

① Ferrous sulfate is mainly used for iron deficiency anemia such as chronic blood loss, malnutrition and pregnant animals. The oral dosage is: 2 ~10g for horses and cows, 0.5 ~ 3g for sheep and pigs, and 0.05 ~ 0.5g for dogs. Generally, it is prepared into 0.2% ~1%aqueous solution for oral administration.

② Ferrous fumarate, also known as blood-rich iron, has high iron content and is well absorbed by oral administration. It can be used for anemia caused by nutritional, hemorrhagic, infectious diseases or parasites, and iron deficiency anemia of pregnant animals. The dosage for oral administration is 2 ~ 5g for horses and cattle, and 0.5 ~1g for pigs and sheep.

In the treatment of iron deficiency anemia, trace elements such as copper and cobalt should also be supplemented according to specific conditions to promote the utilization of iron. In addition, we should improve the feeding, increase the supply of protein, and provide enough raw materials for the formation of hemoglobin.