A surgical technique for the long term collection of bile in the pig and measurement of the biliary excretion of copper and zinc.

A method is described for surgically modifying the gastrointestinal tract of the pig which enables the long term collection of bile and measurement of bile flow and allows the pig to be kept unrestrained in a large pen. Three surgically prepared gilts grew at an average of 0.79 kg d-1. Bile flow increased with bodyweight from 1.6 ml min-1 at 45 to 50 kg to 3.5 ml min-1 at 124.5 kg bodyweight. Mean output in bile of copper and zinc by the three gilts during the period 08.00 to 12.30 was 161.0 +/- 11.1 and 3.94 +/- 0.41 nmol min-1, respectively. The calculated output during 24 hours represented approximately 5.8 and 0.13 per cent of the daily intake of copper and zinc, respectively.