Sinclair Pre-Shipping Conditioning

Sinclair has a very well established miniature swine production program. We consider the pre-shipping conditioning of the animals an integral part of the production program. The pre-shipping conditioning starts with the selection of the miniature swine and includes health and socialization considerations.

Animal Selection

The animals are selected in compliance with the client requirements. The selected animals are given a physical examination and identification is verified for each animal. A list that summarizes the animal identification, age, color, body weight, and pen location is generated and included with the shipment. The pen location is important for group housing (commingling of animals) at the client’s facility.

Health Status

SRC miniswine are bred and reared at a restricted access facility with very strong biosecurity measures in place and our breeding stock and resale animals have a high health status. Our staff veterinarian visits the facility not less than weekly to check animals. All staff shower in before access and foot baths are located throughout the facility. No new animal entry has been allowed for many years (closed colony). Our miniswine are free of the majority of disease agents of concern. Breeding herds are routinely checked for brucellosis and pseudorabies and we are free of brucellosis, pseudorabies, PRRS, influenza, leptospirosis, erysipelothrix, toxoplasmosis, ECM, and TGE. Standard vaccinations are practiced for all animals. Parasite preventive treatments (Ivomec) are also routinely administered and animals are checked by ova parasite examination. All animals receive a physical examination at selection for our clients and animals are shipped with health papers signed by the attending veterinarian. SRC miniature swine are robust and extremely healthy. You can count on it!

Socialization

Swine are particularly sensitive to shipping, changes in environment and feed. To minimize the stress associated with the transportation and the environmental changes, we socialize all miniature swine prior to shipping. Our socialization program consists of daily positive human contact and treat offerings. A simple treat consists of 5 to 10 ml of sucrose (Karo) syrup offered in a syringe, or a certified grade of sucrose in a 70% solution can also be used. The Sinclair's staff will provide as many days of training as possible prior to shipping. The treat administration is a two-step process. First, the animals are trained to like the treat. During this training, the treat is administered orally to expose the miniature swine to the taste of the treat. It generally takes between 1 to 7 offerings for the miniature swine to be highly sensitized to the treat taste. Next, the treat is offered in a manner favoring the contact between the animal technician and the miniature swine. For instance, the animal technician will gradually increase the contact with the miniature swine at each treat offering. We encourage our clients to continue this conditioning in their facility. This simple conditioning minimizes the adaptation time, facilitates animal handling, and results in a well-adjusted animal. We highly recommend a few minutes of daily positive human contact, in addition to treat offerings in the research facility.

Other Considerations

Often the clients will request pre-shipping alterations (e.g. vascular access ports placement, feeding of a high fat diet, castration, etc.) performed prior to shipping. These alterations are incorporated in the pre-shipping conditioning for these clients. Miniature swine shipped outside the United States are required to be tested for specific pathogens and may have to be quarantine prior to shipping according to the country of importation. Sinclair is well equipped and experienced to conduct simple to complex pre-shipping procedures.