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Click on the
link ABOVE to view our fetal pigs.
REASONS FOR USING FETAL
PIGS
IN CLASSROOM DISSECTION
1. Anatomy of the fetal pig closely resembles
that of man. Unlike a frog (an
amphibian), the fetal pig is a mammal.
2. Economical - fetal pigs can cost less than using the same size frog, rat or any
other vertebrate.
3. By-product of the food industry. These fetal pigs are
considered
waste products of packing houses.
4. Abundant - as long as pork is consumed, fetal
pigs will continue to be available.
5. The fetal pig was never born; it did not
"die" for dissection purposes. For
those
concerned about the use of live animals in scientific study, these
fetal
pigs are a viable alternative.
6. Soft
fetal tissue is easy to dissect.
WHERE DO FETAL PIGS COME
FROM?
1. Sows are sent to market to be butchered. As part of the butchering process, we remove
many organs including the uterus. Fetal
pigs in various stages of development are often found within the uterus.
2. These fetal pigs are removed from the uterus
and are then transported to our laboratory for proper preservation and
injections.
3. Sows ARE NOT bred for the
purpose of producing fetal pigs for dissection. Fetal pigs are a by-product of
the food industry.
4. Pig embryos that are not used for education
will be used in the production of fertilizer or will be discarded.
Choice of
plain, single or double INJECTED
Fetal
pigs are available in many sizes and injections.
Our "plain" pigs are preserved using our
formalin preservative, then soaked in our Nebanol "no-smell" holding
solution. These "plain" pigs do not
have any latex injections.
Our "single"
injected pigs add to our plain pig a red latex injected into the arterial
system. Red vessels would be arteries.
Our "double"
injected pigs add to our single pig a blue latex injected into the venous
system. Blue vessels would be veins.
Gestation of
the Pig
Length Approximate Age
10 -
15 mm 20 - 30 days
15 -
20 mm 30 - 40 days
20 -
40 mm 40 - 55 days
50 -
75 mm 60 - 70 days
7 -
9" 80 - 90 days
9 -
11" 90 - 100 days
11 -
13" 100 - 110 days
13 -
15" 110 - 115 days
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{
Fetal Pigs from Nebraska Scientific }
