Pigs are increasingly used in biomedical research as their physiology closely resembles humans, with welfare requirements that exceed those of rodents.
Research pigs require more sophisticated welfare management than rodents due to their intelligence, social complexity, and behavioral needs. Singly housed pigs develop stereotypic behaviors and show welfare deterioration. Biomedical procedures including surgical implantation of devices cause pain requiring adequate analgesia. Their sensitivity to environmental conditions means poor housing affects both welfare and experimental validity. Research institutions using pigs require pig-specific expertise in their animal care programs that smaller institutions may lack.