Start with identity and proof of sale
A Gloucestershire Old Spots pig should arrive with paperwork that proves three things: who this pig is, who sold him to you, and what you actually bought. The foundation is a bill of sale naming buyer and seller, the date of sale, the price agreed, and a description that ties the document to the individual animal — sex, approximate age, colour and spot pattern, and his identification, whether that is an ear tag, ear notch, or other recorded marking used by the breeder.
Identification matters more than new keepers expect with pigs. Litters look alike, grow fast, and change quickly, so the identifier written on the sale and health documents must match the pig you load. Check it while he is still in the seller's pen, not after he is home, because reconciling a mismatch later is far harder than pausing for two minutes at collection.
Registration and recorded ancestry for a heritage breed
The Gloucestershire Old Spots is a traditional British heritage breed, and much of its value — especially for breeding — rests on documented parentage. If the pig is sold as registered breeding stock, expect the registration certificate showing his recorded name or number, his sire and dam, and his date of birth, together with the transfer paperwork signed by the seller so the registration can move into your name.
If he is sold as a purebred but unregistered grower for meat or as a pet, that is a legitimate sale — but the paperwork should say so plainly, and the price and your plans should reflect it. What should not happen is paying a registered-stock price on a spoken assurance. Ask which details are recorded with the breed organisation and which exist only in the breeder's own litter notes, and keep both kinds, labelled for what they are.
Litter, parent, and early-life records
Ask for the litter record behind him: farrowing date, litter size, whether he was raised on his dam or supplemented, when he was weaned, and how he has been fed since, including the type of feed and how much he is used to eating. For a breed known for grazing and doing well outdoors, notes on whether he has been kept on pasture, in a yard, or indoors help you settle him without an abrupt change of diet or routine, which pigs feel keenly.
Parent information is useful beyond the ancestry record. The dam's and sire's temperaments, the dam's mothering history if he is a breeding prospect, and any health problems recorded in the immediate family all shape what you watch for as he grows. A breeder who keeps tidy litter sheets is also telling you something reassuring about how the pig has been managed so far.
Health records and the questions behind them
Request a written health history: veterinary examinations, any health testing done, routine parasite control and other preventive care recorded in general terms, treatments for illness or injury, and how he recovered. You do not need to judge every entry — you need a continuous record your own veterinarian can read and continue, rather than a pig whose medical past restarts at zero on the day he arrives.
Also confirm the movement and holding paperwork your area requires for pigs to travel legally, and keep your copy with the sale documents. If anything on the health record is unclear, ask the seller to explain it in writing before you leave, while the person who knows the answer is standing in front of you.
Keeping a growing pig's file growing
Once home, add your own entries in the same file: arrival weight and condition, feed changes, veterinary visits, and breeding or finishing notes as they arise. That continuity is what makes the original paperwork valuable rather than merely tidy, and storing the complete set in KinsLe's Pet Passport keeps a Gloucestershire Old Spots pig's recorded ancestry, health history, and purchase proof together in one packet for vets and future transfers.