With the modern practice of early weaning, the gastrointestinal system of the neonatal pig has been pushed to its limit, resulting in numerous problems including malnutrition and the post-weaning growth check. To deal with these problems, much research has been performed during the last decade and a wealth of information on the interrelationship between gastrointestinal development and nutrient assimilation in neonatal pigs has accumulated. This volume aims to bring together the most up-to-date knowledge in this field and to provide a single source of reference. tract, and the postnatal growth and functional maturation of the gastrointestinal system in neonatal pigs. It also covers the nutrition and metabolism of neonatal pigs during the early postnatal period and issues conerning creep feeding and early weaning diets, plus chapters dealing with gastrointestinal disorders in neonatal pigs during pre- and post-weaning periods and the use of piglets as experimental models for studying such topics as total parenteral nutrition and prenatal growth retardation in human infants.