Edited

"Yes pigs do get gallstones."

I'd really appreciate a link that confirms that statement! In spite of multiple searches using various term combinations (pig, swine, veterinary medicine, gallstones, etc.)...the only thing I've found is a statement that Gallstones are very rare in animals...and the following:

Invest Radiol. 1987 Mar;22(3):201-5.

Dissolution of Gallstones using cholecystostomy tube in the pig.

McGahan JP, Lee LL, Tesluk H, Nyland TG, Ruebner B, Schmidt B.

Cholecystostomy catheters and human cholesterol Gallstones were implanted surgically in the gallbladders of eight pigs. Through the catheters, mono-octanoin or sterile water (H2O) was infused from two to seven days. The mono-octanoin dissolved pure cholesterol gallstones smaller than 200 g. There was no stone dissolution with infusion of sterile water and only one stone larger than 250 g was dissolved with mono-octanoin. Side effects included moderate-to-severe inflammation and ulceration of the gallbladder with mono-octanoin instillation, which precludes its widespread use with the present treatment regimen. Infusion of water caused little gallbladder irritation.

PMID: 3557894 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

*If pigs get gallstones...wouldn't it have been much easier to use pigs with gallstones instead of implanting human gallstones in the pigs?!!!


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