#50 - Alleviating transportation stress in pigs with alginate hydrogel beads

Transporting pigs between locations may expose them to various stressors, such as food and water deprivation, physical control, and combination with unfamiliar pigs. Such stressors can disrupt the natural balance of the animals, resulting in non-ambulatory or injured pigs – and even death. In this episode, Dr. Arlene Garcia discusses some research she's been working on that investigates the effectiveness of providing pigs with electrolytes and a source of glucose source alginate hydrogel beads (AHB) to ease the stress of transportation.

Meet the guest:

Dr. Arlene Garcia

Experience

○ Current: Assistant Professor at Texas Tech University; Animal Welfare Auditor at Where Food Comes From, Inc./Validus

Background

○ Ph.D.; Animal Welfare, Behavior and Physiology (Texas Tech University)

Connect with our guest on Social Media: LinkedIn