The Veterinarian

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TREATMENT: There is no other way of curing this disease, or of
preventing it, than by killing the parasites and their eggs; not only on
the pigs themselves, but also on the sides of the pens, sheds,
rubbing-posts, or anything that an affected hog rubs against.

When treating this disease, the real aim must be to kill the parasite by
the prompt and continuous use of external remedies, such as washing or
dipping, which is better done with some good disinfectant, one part to
seventy parts water. Repeat this every ten days until cured. Two
dippings are generally sufficient. It is well to feed cooling foods,
such as clean slops and vegetables, containing regulator and tonic as
prescribed on first page of this chapter.

NAVEL RUPTURE

(Navel or Umbilical)

CAUSE: Injuries. Pigs crowding through narrow doorways or openings in
fences, small pigs sleeping with large pigs, and allowed to pile up, or
being thrown about feed troughs when feeding. Weakness and constipation
also predisposes them to Navel or Umbilical Rupture.

SYMPTOMS: A soft, puffy swelling about the navel or umbilicus, varying
in size from a hazelnut to that of an ostrich egg. When a pig is placed
on its back the intestines will gravitate into the abdominal cavity,
providing the intestines have not adhered to the walls of the rupture.

TREATMENT: This is more difficult than the Scrotal or Inguinal Rupture
operation, as often times the intestines will adhere to the inner
surface of the rupture and, unless the operation is carefully performed,
there is great danger. Great care must be exercised in preparing the pig
by fasting it for twenty-four hours. After this is accomplished, prepare
an antiseptic solution, Carbolic Acid, five per cent, or Bichloride of
Mercury, one in one-thousandths; also have a needle and absorbent silk
or cat-gut ready. Place the pig on its back, with its head downward.
Now, wash the seat of operation with either antiseptic solution. Then
make an incision through the skin carefully; as stated before,
intestines sometimes adhere to the inner surface of the rupture. If such
is the case, wash the hands in the antiseptic solution and with the
fingers carefully break the adhesions or separate the intestines from
their adhesions. After this is accomplished, sew the inner lining of the
abdominal cavity with absorbent silk or cat-gut. Then sew the outer skin
with cotton or linen cord and your operation is complete. Feed the hog
sparingly for a few days following the operation on easily digested,
laxative foods.

NETTLE RASH

(Urticaria)

CAUSE: Irritations of the skin produced by sprinkling hogs with
irritating solutions and powders, or from irritating dips when treating
for lice, etc. Feeding highly nitrogenous food predisposes hogs to this
disease; also filth, poorly drained sheds and pens; is especially common
in young pigs. Nettle Rash is not contagious, but what produces it in
one hog may produce it in several at the same time.

SYMPTOMS: Red, swollen blotches appear on the skin very suddenly,
especially about the ears and the inside of the thighs, perhaps due to
the skin being thin and deprived of hair. The hog rubs it on account of
the intense itching, and he will not thrive when in this condition. In
most cases there is a fluid oozing from the blotches, causing dirt and
filth to adhere to the hair. However, if the disease is properly
treated, a recovery is sure to follow in about two weeks.

TREATMENT: Prevention against this disease is most important, and it
consists in keeping shoats and pigs in clean, well ventilated sheds and
pens. Do not sprinkle them with irritating solutions or powders, or
irritating dips, but when the disease once shows itself give each pig or
hog affected a dose of Epsom Salts, one ounce to every twenty-five
pounds of hog weight, in feed, swill or drinking water. If the weather
is hot, keep them in a clean, cool place, also purify their blood by
feeding regulator and tonic as prescribed on first page of this chapter.

Apply some good Coal Tar disinfectant, one part to one hundred parts of
water. This is non-irritating, and will destroy hog lice, and will heal
the pustules of nettle rash. Apply twice ten days apart. It also must be
borne in mind that pens and sleeping quarters must be disinfected; the
old bedding and manure burned and replaced with good, clean straw or
hay. Feed easily digested food, slops, etc.

[Illustration: Photograph of pig.]
CHAMPION POLAND CHINA BOAR KING HADLEY 57722.
Owned by W. J. Baker, Rich Hill, Mo.

PARALYSIS OF THE HIND QUARTERS

CAUSE: There are a great many things that may produce paralysis of the
hind quarters. For instance, shipping hogs in crates; fractions of thigh
bones; Rickets, due to feeding food that is deficient in mineral matter;
hogs piling up; kicks or injuries to the back; frequently seen in sows
nursing a litter of pigs and in a run-down condition. Constipation and
indigestion also produce paralysis of the hind quarters. Some think it
is caused by worms in the kidneys; this is not always the case. It is
true that the presence of a parasite around the kidneys may cause
irritation of the nerves of the spinal column and result in paralysis.
Yet, it is more often the result of weakness and loss of nervous power
of the hind parts.

SYMPTOMS: Regardless of the cause, the symptoms in either case, for they
cannot be distinguished, are weakness of the back, wriggling of the hind
parts, and finally the hogs sit down on their haunches. After some
effort, they get up and run in a straight line quite fast, but swing to
one side for a while and then go over to the other side, and finally get
down so that they cannot rise, but drag themselves about. The appetite
is good until a day or two before they die.

TREATMENT: Place the hog in clean, comfortable quarters, with plenty of
fresh water to drink. Give sour milk, fruit or vegetables, containing
regulator and tonic as prescribed on first page of this chapter. It
contains nerve stimulants and blood purifiers. If the hog is
constipated, add two to four ounces of Epsom Salts to its feed.
Treatment of all such cases requires perseverance, recovery being slow
and not always certain.

PILES

(Prolapse of the Anus)

CAUSE: Although the pig may look well, he has a weakness of the circular
fibres of the intestines, due to irritating foods that either constipate
or produce diarrhoea.

SYMPTOMS: Very plain. A protrusion of the rectum all the way from two to
four inches. The pig irritates the protrusion by rubbing it against the
sides of pens, etc.; it cracks, bleeds and in warm weather will become
fly-blown and maggots accumulate in large quantities.

TREATMENT: In the first stages of this disease, wash the protruded parts
with an antiseptic solution of Carbolic Acid, one teaspoonful to a pint
of water. Give rectal injections of Soap and Warm Water or Sweet Oil,
give about two ounces of Castor Oil internally and feed soft, sloppy
food. In chronic cases of long standing, remove the exposed portion of
the intestine after washing nicely with the antiseptic solution. Remove
the protrusion with a sharp knife and stitch the cut end of intestine
edges to the anus. Feed easily digested food, such as wheat bran, mixed
with flaxseed meal on which boiling hot water has been poured, cooling
before feeding. Also give regulator and tonic as prescribed on first
page of this chapter.

PIN WORMS

CAUSE: Hogs consume the eggs that encapsule well matured embryonic worms
with their food or drinking water. These worms multiply very rapidly in
the small intestines and are from one-half to one inch in length.

SYMPTOMS: No signs are noticed unless the worms are very abundant, as
they are small and difficult to see with the naked eye. The principal
point of attack is in the back part of the small intestines, where
considerable inflammation is set up, especially when there are other
worms, such as the Roundworm, present.

TREATMENT: Is of little value, as the worms in the intestines are very
difficult to get at, but as their presence causes very little
disturbance, it is hardly worth while treating; however, preventive
measures should be applied by disinfecting, burning manure and bedding.

The following has proven a very effective treatment for Pinworms:
Powdered Quassia, one pound; Sulphur, two pounds; Glauber Salts, one
pound; Powdered Tobacco, one-half pound; Sulphide of Antimony, one
pound; Hyposulphite of Soda, two pounds; Beechwood Charcoal, one pound;
Common Salt, two pounds.

The above must be well powdered and thoroughly mixed. Give one heaping
teaspoonful to everyone hundred pounds of hog weight. To small pigs,
give doses in proportion to weight. Place it in their feed or slop twice
a day. In addition to being a vermifuge, it is an alterative and tonic
that should be given pigs and hogs which do not thrive properly. Best
results are obtained in treatment of Pinworm when the principal food
consists of vegetables, mashes and slops.

PLEURISY

CAUSE: Exposure to cold, damp, chilly weather, especially to drafts, or
by a large number of hogs being allowed to pile up during cold nights,
etc.

SYMPTOMS: Chilling, temperature elevated two or three degrees above
normal; breathing fast. The hog will show great pain when pressed over
the lungs by flinching, squealing or grunting; coughing suppressed, ribs
rigid; breathing mostly with the muscles of the flanks; appetite poor
and eventually there will be fluids accumulate in the lung cavities. At
this stage, the breathing is labored and difficult. If the ear is
pressed over the lungs, the fluids can be heard, and in the first stage
the sound will be similar to that of rubbing hair between the finger and
thumb.

TREATMENT: Remove the cause. The treatment is satisfactory if applied in
due time. Place in clean, comfortable shed, seeing that it is well
ventilated, omit drafts; apply equal parts of Aqua Ammonia Fort.,
Turpentine and Sweet Oil over the lungs and give two or four ounces of
Castor Oil in milk. Feed easily digested food, such as hot wheat bran
mashes, containing hog regulator and tonic as prescribed on first page
of this chapter. It is also well to feed vegetables.

RHEUMATISM

CAUSE: Exposure, as in cold, damp houses. Overfeeding also has a
tendency to cause swellings of the joints and muscles.

SYMPTOMS: Lameness of one or more limbs, swelling of the joints about
the legs and feet. The hog does not care to move, refusing its feed in
most cases; temperature slightly elevated; breathing quick and short; he
will drink water frequently if offered.

TREATMENT: I am of opinion that Rheumatism in hogs would be a very rare
disease if they were properly provided with clean, dry quarters, with a
liberal quantity of bedding. Do not allow hogs to pile up, as it is very
injurious to them.

MEDICAL TREATMENT: Consists of feeding sloppy food to which add one-half
dram of Sodium Salicylate two or three times a day in their feed.
Vegetables and green grass are very beneficial in this disease, as they
have a cooling effect on the blood. The hog tonic and regulator
recommended on first page of this chapter is very beneficial when given
with food of a sloppy nature.

RICKETS

CAUSE: Food deficient in mineral matter or lime; filth, lack of
exercise, and crowded quarters, all tend to produce a softening of the
bones and swelling of the joints.

SYMPTOMS: The pigs affected generally appear in good condition and seem
to be doing well, but suddenly they become paralyzed in the hind
quarters, owing to the weakened condition of the bones, which sometimes
fracture without receiving injury or any additional weight to that of
the pig itself. The bones of the snout, back, limbs and feet bend and
become deformed. The pigs grow weak, poor and stunted and perhaps the
best treatment is to destroy them.

PREVENTIVE TREATMENT: Careful feeding of good, wholesome food. This
disease is very seldom seen where hogs are frequently fed corn.

MEDICAL TREATMENT: When the first signs of Rickets appear, feed
regulator and tonic as prescribed on first page of this chapter. It
contains the mineral matter needed by the hog.

ROUND WORMS

CAUSE: Is undoubtedly due to filth or hogs eating food or drinking water
contaminated with well developed eggs or embryos of roundworms, thus
taking them into their digestive canal, where they multiply rapidly and
set up considerable irritation. This worm varies in length from three to
thirteen inches, and is of a reddish-brown color.

SYMPTOMS: The Roundworm is generally passed with the feces, and can be
readily seen with the naked eye. A hog infested with a large number of
these worms is generally restless, appetite varied. When these worms
develop in large numbers, they obstruct the intestines. In other cases
they irritate and inflame the intestines causing inflammation and
diarrhoea, and death may be due to either obstruction or inflammation of
the bowels.

TREATMENT: Treatment is very satisfactory. Withhold all food from
eighteen to twenty-four hours. Then place in one pint of finely ground
feed, Calomel and Santonin, each five grains to every one hundred pounds
of hog weight. For instance, if the hog affected with round worms weighs
two hundred pounds, double the dose by giving ten grains of each of the
above, but if the hog only weighs fifty pounds, give one-half the dose
mentioned, or two and one-half grains of each. This treatment should be
repeated in a week or ten days to assure the expulsion of worms that
might have survived the first dose. Feed sparingly on laxative food, as
bran mashes and vegetables, for a few days following each treatment.

RUPTURE

(Scrotal or Inguinal)

DEFINITION: In the male the intestines pass through the wide Inguinal
Canal, through which the cord of the testicle passes. It is not
difficult to recognize this form of rupture, as the scrotum that
normally retains only the testicles is usually enlarged by the bowels
entering it. Sometimes the scrotum almost reaches the ground, and in
this case, both sides of the scrotum, or the sack which contains the
testicles, also contains intestines. If the pig is held up by the hind
parts, the intestines will gravitate back into the abdominal cavity, but
as soon as a pig lies down or stands they again return into the scrotum.
The testicles can be located at the bottom of the enlargement.

CAUSE: Hereditary tendencies predisposes them to rupture; pigs having
large Inguinal Canals through which the testicle passes; by pigs being
crowded, injured, squeezed at troughs, or passing through narrow
doorways. Weakness and severe straining from constipation also produce
rupture.

SYMPTOMS: An enlargement of the sack containing the testicles. Sometimes
there may be a strangulation of the intestines where they fold or twist.
They become inflamed and produce death. The pig dies in great pain, but
fortunately, strangulated ruptures in pigs are very rare, as the scrotum
and canal which the intestines occupy relax and become very roomy.

TREATMENT: Operation is the only method of relieving or curing Inguinal
or Scrotal Rupture. My advice is to operate as soon as possible. When
the pigs are small, there is less danger. The pig to be operated on
should be fasted for at least twenty-four hours, as it is easier on both
the operator and pig when the intestines are empty, or nearly so.

The operation which I have found to be very successful is as follows:
Have an assistant hold the pig up by its hind legs. Prepare an
antiseptic solution of Carbolic Acid five per cent, or Bichloride of
Mercury, one in one-thousandths, in a pan. Have a needle threaded with a
medium sized absorbent silk or cat-gut suture. Prepare a clean, sharp
knife; wash the seat of operation with either antiseptic solution. Now,
proceed to locate the testicle by having the hind parts elevated. The
intestines must be pressed back into the abdominal cavity. The testicle
will remain in the sack or scrotum; now grasp the testicle between the
fingers and make the incision through the scrotum and to the lower
portion. It may be necessary to insert two fingers to withdraw the
testicle. When the testicle is located, withdraw it. Before cutting it
off it is well to run a needle containing a thread through the last
covering of the testicle so as to prevent the membrane from returning.
After this is securely done, remove the testicle and sew the inner
membranes that envelop the rupture and testicle with what is called a
"tobacco pouch suture." Draw it together firmly and tie and cut off
suture about one-half inch from the knot. Your operation is now
complete. Do not sew the outer incision in the scrotum, as it would have
a tendency to accumulate dirt and hold pus. It should have a free
drainage. Wash with one of the above mentioned antiseptics twice daily
until thoroughly healed. Also feed laxative foods that are easily
digested.

SORE FEET

CAUSE: Filth; especially common in large hogs when confined to hard
floors or driven over rough, hard roads, or continually kept in filthy
pens. The tissues of the feet become softened, especially those between
the claws. Irritation is set up by germs entering the abrasions.

SYMPTOMS: The hogs will be noticed going very lame and if closely
examined the above named conditions will be found.

TREATMENT: Remove the hogs to clean, dry pens containing plenty of clean
bedding, and wash the affected parts with some good disinfectant, as
five per cent solution of Carbolic Acid. Repeat this treatment at least
once a day. In case the feet are badly inflamed, I would advise the
application of hot Flaxseed Meal poultices to the feet. Feed easily
digested food, as it aids materially in the treatment of infectious
wounds.

[Illustration: Photograph of a pig.]
CHAMPION BERKSHIRE BOAR LONGFELLOW'S SUCCESSOR.
Hood Farm, Lowell, Mass.

SORE MOUTH

CAUSE: Decomposed foods. Also slops or stagnant water, washing powders,
broken glassware, etc., from the tables, fed in slops, barley or wheat
beards, etc.

SYMPTOMS: Difficulty in eating, or refusal to eat at all. Stringy
secretions of saliva continually oozing from the mouth. The mouth gives
off very offensive odor.

TREATMENT: In this form of sore mouth, remove the cause. Feed soft,
wholesome food, such as wheat bran mashes and vegetables. In cases where
it is due to the lodging of beards of wheat or barley, gag the hog's
mouth with a piece of wood and remove the beards with forceps. Keep
clean, cool water before them at all times and avoid feeding dry, hard
food.

SOWS EATING THEIR YOUNG

CAUSE: Insufficient lime or mineral matter fed prior to farrowing;
constipation is also a fruitful cause.

PREVENTION: Careful feeding for a few days prior to farrowing of slops,
free from soap or washing powders; cool food, such as wheat bran mashes,
with hog tonic and regulator as prescribed on the first page of this
chapter. This is loosening to the bowels and also contains mineral
matter and blood purifiers which are very valuable in the above
mentioned condition.

SUN OR HEAT STROKE

CAUSE: Hogs that are very fat, and driven, hauled or shipped to market
when the weather is warm, are frequently stricken with heat or
sun-stroke. Sometimes when hogs are overcrowded and not protected from
the rays of the sun, or from heat, they may become victims of heat or
sunstroke.

SYMPTOMS: First they stagger when walking, then they become very weak
and temperature elevates three or four degrees higher than normal.
Prostration or extreme depression, or sometimes involuntary spasms or
contractions of muscles occur.

TREATMENT: Prevention. Do not drive, haul or ship during the hottest
part of the day, hogs that are not accustomed to exercise or extreme
heat. Do not crowd hogs in small pens or sheds during the hot months, as
their bodies give off considerable heat in addition to that of the sun.
See that they are protected from the sun. When hauling or shipping hogs,
wet them occasionally with water. It prevents heat stroke. In case a hog
is suffering from heat or sun-stroke, place it in a cool, shady place
and apply ice or cold water to the head only. Also give Saltpeter in
teaspoonful doses every six hours diluted in one ounce of water. Also
give Alcohol, one teaspoonful, every three hours in one ounce of water.
Good recovery is often obtained from the above treatment.

THORN-HEADED WORMS

CAUSE: A white grub that is found in old manure heaps, straw stacks and
hog lots carries eggs containing embryos of the Thorn-headed Worm. The
white grub is eaten by the hog. The larvae of the Thorn-headed Worm is
liberated by the process of digestion and becomes a parasite in the
intestines of the hogs, where it develops into a fully matured worm.
Large numbers of hogs quickly become infested with this parasite, as
they multiply very rapidly. These worms vary from two to twelve inches
in length, and have a whitish color.

SYMPTOMS: As a general rule, a worm can be seen in the feces. Other
signs are that the hog loses flesh, appetite irregular, constipation,
and then again there may be diarrhoea, especially where there are large
numbers of worms present.

TREATMENT: First of all, burn all manure or decomposed vegetation that
the hogs are liable to come in contact with. Withhold all food from
eighteen to twenty-four hours and give one teaspoonful of Oil of
Turpentine to everyone hundred pounds of hog weight, or if the hog
weighs less than one hundred pounds, doses should be given in
proportion. Follow this treatment for three or four consecutive days.
Turpentine is easily given to hogs, as they will drink it in milk when
well mixed. Perhaps it is advisable, where a large number of hogs are
affected, to divide them into pens of five or ten hogs, as they are thus
less likely to get an overdose. Feed laxative food. Clean and disinfect
troughs and feeding floors. Also give prescription on first page of this
chapter.

THUMPS

CAUSE: Disorders of the digestive system from overloading the stomach
and causing irritation of the nerves leading to the diaphragm, which is
the membrane that separates the lungs and heart from the intestines,
stomach, liver and spleen. It is a spasm of this membrane that causes a
hog or pig to have "Thumps." Insufficient exercise; a large number of
pigs may become affected at the same time when closely confined.

SYMPTOMS: Jerking of the flanks; the pig or hog becomes very weak and
stunted in a very short time.

TREATMENT: Remove the cause. In pigs, when first affected, careful
feeding and exercise will generally effect a cure. In some cases, where
the pigs are very small, it is well to take them away from the mother,
permitting them to nurse very little. Give them Castor Oil in
teaspoonful doses, and compel them to exercise. It may be necessary to
give them Chloral Hydrate ten to fifteen grains two or three times a day
diluted in a teaspoonful of water. Where the pigs will not eat mashes or
drink milk, give them medicine by force with a teaspoon.

AFTER TREATMENT: Give hog regulator and tonic as prescribed on first
page of this chapter.

WHIP WORM

This worm is very uncommon, but occasionally is found in the large
intestines.

CAUSE: The eggs become imbedded in the manure, bedding, etc., and then
mix with the feed and drinking water and are taken into the digestive
canal where they develop into matured worms. This worm is from one to
three inches in length, the hind extremity of which is very thin, hence
the name, "Whipworm."

SYMPTOMS: They produce very little disturbance, even though present in
large quantities, except when other worms assist in their irritating the
lining membranes of the large intestines.

MEDICAL TREATMENT: Withhold all food from eighteen to twenty-four hours,
then give one teaspoonful of Gasolene thoroughly mixed with milk, to
everyone hundred pounds of hog weight. Small hogs, reduce the dose in
proportion to their weight. It is advisable to follow this dose for two
or three consecutive days. Feed food that is easily digested, and see
that they have fresh water to drink.

DISEASES OF SHEEP AND GOATS

Causes, Symptoms and Treatments

[Illustration: Photograph of sheep with numbers referring to
the parts named below.]

1. Mouth
2. Nostrils
3. Eyes
4. Forehead
5. Poll
6. Ears
7. Neck or Scrag
8. Throat or Throttle
9. Brisket or Breast
10. Shoulder vein
11. Shoulder
12. Legs
13. Fore flank
14. Heart girth
15. Crops
16. Back
17. Loin
18. Rump
19. Coupling
20. Ribs
21. Belly
22. Sheath
23. Scrotum
24. Rear flanks
25. Leg of Mutton
26. Twist
27. Tail or Dock
28. Rump

CHAPTER IV

ABORTION

CAUSE: Is usually produced by injuries, or by the ewes being poisoned
from eating poisonous foods, plants, etc. It has never occurred in
infectious form in this country, although sometimes an outbreak is
thought infectious on account of several ewes aborting about the same
time, but all such outbreaks have been traced to some irritating poison
which they had taken with their food or drinking water.

PREVENTIVE TREATMENT: Remove the aborted lambs or kids and afterbirth
from the yards, and also withdraw the ewe or nanny and place her in
comfortable quarters. She requires care and extra nursing, or she will
become very poor and lose a large portion of her fleece.

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