Pig

A new approach (CSA-Score) to assessing the cumulative overall stress load in the case of animal experiments and even beyond

In laboratory animal science, severity assessment has been mandatory by European law since 2013. Various severity assessments have been created for many single manipulations. However, when multiple harmful interventions or stressors occur simultaneously or repeatedly, the cumulative overall severity is...

Year Published: 2024Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: All/General, Mouse, Pig, Rodent

Citation: Helmig, S., Wenzel, S. 2024. A new approach (CSA-Score) to assessing the cumulative overall stress load in the case of animal experiments and even beyond. Discover Animals 1(1), 38.

Environmental enrichment affects immunity and reduces disease severity in pigs after co-infection, with stronger effects when applied from birth than from weaning

We investigated whether environmental enrichment applied at different life stages of pigs affects the susceptibility to and severity of disease by studying immune cell functions around weaning and during nursery, the effects of infection in ex vivo models and in...

Year Published: 2024Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Rearing & WeaningAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: de Bruijn, B. G. C., van Dixhoorn, I. D. E., Bolhuis, J. E. et al. 2024. Environmental enrichment affects immunity and reduces disease severity in pigs after co-infection, with stronger effects when applied from birth than from weaning. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 11.

Place conditioning as evaluation of affective valence in piglets

The emotional valence of animals is challenging to assess, despite being a key component of welfare. In this study, we attempted to assess emotional valence through memory in 1- and 3-week-old piglets. It was hypothesized that piglets would spend less...

Year Published: 2024Topics: Emotion, Pain, & Sentience, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Ede, T., Ibach, S., Parsons, T. D. 2024. Place conditioning as evaluation of affective valence in piglets. Scientific Reports 14(1), 25216.

Refined method of Tropicamide application in minipigs

The objective of this experiment was to investigate the efficacy of Tropicamide when administered using a new spray method (compared to eye drop method).

Year Published: 2024Topics: Drug/Substance AdministrationAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Gracey, K. 2024. Refined method of Tropicamide application in minipigs. Animal Technology and Welfare 23(2), 145–147.

Determination of an acclimation period for swine in biomedical research

Swine are widely used models in biomedical research due to their physiologic and anatomic similarities to humans. During transport from vendors to research facilities, pigs are subject to a number of stressors, including environmental, social, and stress as a result...

Year Published: 2024Topics: Relocation & TransportAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Maxwell, A. R., Castell, N. J., Brockhurst, J. K. et al. 2024. Determination of an acclimation period for swine in biomedical research. JAALAS 63(6), 651–654.

The promotion of play behaviour in grow-finish pigs: The relationship between behaviours indicating positive experience and physiological measures

The provision of opportunities to express rewarding behaviours is a promising concept to support a better quality of life for intensively farmed pigs. Play behaviour has been associated with excitement and fun, suggesting that playing animals experience pleasurable states. Pigs...

Year Published: 2024Topics: Emotion, Pain, & Sentience, Natural BehaviorAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Steinerová, K., Parker, S. E., Brown, J. A. et al. 2024. The promotion of play behaviour in grow-finish pigs: The relationship between behaviours indicating positive experience and physiological measures. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 275, 106263.

Getting to the root of the problem…How to maximize swine environmental enrichment opportunities in the laboratory animal setting

Swine rooting refers to the natural behavior of pigs to root or dig in soil with their snouts in search of food, roots, insects, and other edible items. This behavior is deeply ingrained in the natural instincts of swine and...

Year Published: 2024Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: De La Garza, F., Long, C. T., Cannon, C. Z. 2024. Getting to the root of the problem…How to maximize swine environmental enrichment opportunities in the laboratory animal setting. Laboratory Animal Science Professional 12(3) (May/June), 30–35.

Familiar versus unfamiliar: Revealing the complexity of sociability in pigs

Social behaviours are fundamental to gregarious animals and a dynamic force driving social structures, conflicts and cooperation. As a personality trait, sociability is defined as the individual reaction to the presence or absence of conspecifics and the motivation to associate...

Year Published: 2024Topics: Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Ambruosi, S., De Angelis, F., Chou, J.-Y. et al. 2024. Familiar versus unfamiliar: Revealing the complexity of sociability in pigs. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 275, 106248.

Evidence of stable preferential affiliative relationships in the domestic pig

Affiliative relationships are well documented in a wide range of wild animals. However, there is limited evidence of their existence in social farm animals, despite potential significant animal welfare implications. We aimed to determine whether pigs have preferential partners for...

Year Published: 2024Topics: Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Clouard, C., Foreau, A., Goumon, S. et al. 2024. Evidence of stable preferential affiliative relationships in the domestic pig. Animal Behaviour 213, 95–105.

Evaluation of efficacy of 2 extended-release bupivacaine products in a porcine model of incisional pain

Extended-release (ER) local anesthetics are often incorporated in multi-modal analgesia or as an alternative when the effect of systemic analgesics may confound research. In this study, we compared the analgesic efficacy of 2 ER bupivacaine anesthetics with different ER mechanisms,...

Year Published: 2024Topics: AnalgesiaAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Yang, P., Yang, S., Durham, L. B. et al. 2024. Evaluation of efficacy of 2 extended-release bupivacaine products in a porcine model of incisional pain. JAALAS 63(4), 422–427.