Removing antibiotics from pig diets can often result in more health problems and reduced performance, especially immediately post-weaning. Three ways to compensate for the lack of antibiotics are to modify management strategies, nutritional strategies, or use alternative feed additives. One nutritional strategy is to lower the crude protein in the diet. Protein increases fermentation, and presents a substrate for pathogen growth. Protein also requires more energy to digest, and fermentation can produce compounds that can damage the intestinal walls. Post-weaning diets can be lowered to 18% protein and maintain performance with supplemented amino acids. Protein can be lowered further, but performance may be less, although this could be worthwhile if performance was predicted to be lowered by diarrhea anyways. Feeding cooked white rice and animal protein rather than higher fibre grains can also reduce diarrhea post-weaning. Rice is mainly digested in the small intestine, so pathogens in the large intestine receive less nourishment. However, contradictory studies have shown barley and oats to reduce post-weaning diarrhea, even though they result in hindgut fermentation. Restricted feeding is another option, as is adding functional proteins like spray dried plasma. Spray dried plasma is thought to improve performance by providing immunoglobulins, so other sources of immunoglobulins including protein whey from dairy milk and egg proteins should work as well. A final nutritional strategy is to liquid feed, and fermentation of the liquid diet before feeding will further reduce intestinal irritation.

One of the dietary additives that can reduce post-weaning diarrhea is an acidifier. Organic acids, possibly some inorganic acids, and acid salts have been added to diets with varying positive results. Probiotics are live bacteria cultures that are intended to colonize the intestinal tract, and positive performance results have been seen post-weaning with the inclusion of lactic acid and yeast cultures. Prebiotics, like non-digestible oligosaccharides, promote beneficial bacteria growth in the intestines, and certain essential oils have antimicrobial properties that may be useful against pathogens. Finally, the addition of minerals including selenium, copper sulfate, zinc oxide, chromium, and reducing limestone and inorganic phosphate can all have a positive impact on intestinal health and growth performance. By using a combination of nutritional strategies and dietary additives, post-weaning growth performance and intestinal health can be maintained without the use of antibiotics.