Improved procedure and cannula design for simple-T cannulation at the distal ileum in growing pigs

Inserting a device (cannula) into the ileum is a common technique for study ing nutrient digestibility, determining the disappearance or synthesis of a component, live tissue sampling, and inserting compounds or therapeutic ag ents into a specific region of the gastrointestinal tract. The purpose of t his study was to implement improved cannulation procedures and care and man agement practices for cannulated pigs. Using these improved procedures, we successfully cannulated and maintained 15 pigs, each with an initial body w eight of 30 kg. The newly designed cannula afforded improved stability and ease of adjustment while providing increased comfort to the pigs. The cannu la was exteriorized through the last two ribs, providing excellent stabilit y and security. To increase pig comfort, the cannulation site was washed an d dried thoroughly and ointment was applied to the skin mice daily througho ut the 63-day experiment. These updated procedures and maintenance practice s should be considered and implemented in future experiments involving inte stinal cannulation in pigs.