HOG REGULATOR AND TONIC
Nux Vomica, one pound; Hardwood Charcoal, two pounds; Sulphur, two
pounds; Common Salt, three pounds; Sulphide of Antimony, one and
one-half pounds; Glauber Salts, two pounds; Bicarbonate of Soda, four
pounds; Hyposulphite of Soda, four pounds; Nitrate of Potash, one pound;
Quassia, one-half pound; Gentian Root, one pound; Iron Sulphate, one
pound; pulverize and mix well.
To everyone hundred pounds of hog weight, give one tablespoonful in feed
or swill once or twice daily. For hogs weighing two hundred pounds, the
dose would be two tablespoonfuls; for a hog weighing fifty pounds,
one-half tablespoonful.
Hogs, like other animals, require tonics, bowel regulators and worm
expellers. For these purposes, I have prescribed under a number of the
diseases of hogs, which I cover in this chapter, the above general tonic
and regulator which I have used in my personal practice with marked
success, especially serving the purpose of aiding hogs in their
convalescence from debilitating diseases and in their recovery from a
general run-down condition.
Aside from its general tonic and regulative effect, this prescription
contains nerve tonics, intestinal antiseptics, laxatives, worm
expellers, and aids digestion, etc.
If regularly given to hogs, and sanitary conditions are maintained, this
tonic and regulator will largely fortify them against contagious
diseases.
ABORTION
CAUSE: Sows may abort at any state of pregnancy by slipping, falling,
receiving kicks, or by being caught while crawling through or under
fences. Sows may also abort when allowed to crawl into quarters where
there are other hogs. Contagious diseases, such as Cholera and
Pleuropneumonia also produce abortion. There is also a contagious form
of abortion in sows, but this is very uncommon, as the disease spreads
very slowly.
SYMPTOMS: There is no warning given, as a rule; the sows expel their
pigs before any signs of abortion are noticed.
In other cases the sows refuse to eat, become uneasy, shivering and
trembling of the muscles, and straining or labor pains are noticed. As a
rule, when a sow aborts, she will not prepare a bed, as she would
normally.
TREATMENT: Preventive is the only safe and sure treatment, although when
the first sign of abortion appears, and there are no signs of the
membranes coming away, remove the sow to quiet, warm, clean quarters by
herself, and if straining, give one dram of Chloral-Hydrate in her
drinking water every two or three hours.
When a sow aborts, burn the pigs and afterbirth, and disinfect the pens
with a Coal Tar disinfectant. Keep this up for several days, and do not
breed until all discharges from the vagina have ceased flowing.
ADMINISTRATION OF MEDICINE TO HOGS
To administer medicine to hogs may seem easy, but, nevertheless, it is a
difficult task. Never lay a hog on his back to drench him, as in so
doing there is great danger of strangling. The proper method is to stand
or set him on end, holding him up by the ears, and by the use of a
bottle with a piece of hose drawn over its neck, give the medicine very
slowly, so as not to allow a large quantity to accumulate in the mouth
or throat at one time. There is always danger of some of the liquid
escaping into the lungs and causing the hog to strangle, and thus it may
produce pneumonia. However, this is the best method of giving hogs
medicine by force.
Hogs will generally take medicine in their feed or drinking water,
unless they are very sick, or the medicine is extremely disagreeable to
the taste.
BAG INFLAMMATION
CAUSE: Injuries, obstructed teats, accumulation of milk in the sow's bag
after the loss of part of or all of her litter. Difficult birth, slight
wounds in the bag permit invasion of germs, which is frequently the
common cause of bag inflammation.
SYMPTOMS: Heat, pain and swelling in one or more teats. The general body
temperature is elevated one or two degrees above normal. The sow perhaps
refuses her feed, although she will drink water in large quantities.
TREATMENT: Feed soft, sloppy food and vegetables. Give Epsom Salts, two
to four ounces, in milk or feed. It is also well to milk the sow by
hand, relieving her of the milk three or four times a day. This is very
necessary. Camphorated Oil is very soothing, and I would recommend its
use freely only over affected teats.
BLACK TOOTH
CAUSE: Black Tooth, so called in swine, is principally due to injuries
to the teeth received by chewing hard matter, such as bone, etc., which
causes them to decay.
SYMPTOMS: Toothache. Toothache in swine is similar to that exhibited by
man, in showing loss of appetite, salivation, or slobbering, hanging the
head mostly to the side which is affected, loss of fear of man, and
offensive breath. If the hogs are fed on strongly acid food for any
length of time, their teeth may become dark colored. As the teeth are
not materially injured; so long as decayed tooth substance cannot be
noticed, and while the appetite and chewing facilities of the hog do not
appear to be diminished, no interference will be necessary.
It is customary with some people to examine the teeth of hogs, and if
one tooth is found darker colored than the others, it is supposed to be
the cause of the hog not doing well, if he is in a poor condition, and
the tooth is hammered off flush with the jaw, leaving the broken roots,
lacerated gums and nerves to increase the hog's suffering. If the hog
recovers, it is often concluded that this was a case of Black Tooth.
My advice is, if you are determined to have the tooth out, extract it
properly. Do not break it off. When your hogs are not thriving, give
them the regulator and tonic prescribed on the first page of this
chapter.
BLOOD POISONING
(Pyemia Septicemia)
CAUSE: Due to the toxic substance produced by germs that invade wounds,
bruises, abscesses, or womb following farrowing, if lacerated.
SYMPTOMS: The seat of injury becomes swollen, pus may adhere to the
hair, temperature elevated, appetite poor, hog moves about very slowly,
becomes separated from the rest of the drove, lies around in some cool,
quiet place, eventually becomes very weak and poor and dies, if good
attention is not given.
TREATMENT: Separate from the other hogs and remove to a clean,
comfortable place and wash the seat of injury with some good
disinfectant, as a five per cent Carbolic Acid solution. In case of
abscess, open it low so as to assure good drainage. Keep clean, cool
water before your hogs at all times. Give mashes made from wheat bran
and hot water, or any good, substantial food that is easily digested
containing regulator and tonic prescribed on the first page of this
chapter.
BRONCHITIS
CAUSE: Lung worms, poorly ventilated sleeping quarters, sleeping in
straw stacks, in manure heaps, overheated, filthy pens, where the
animals inhale irritating gases given off the bodies of other hogs, and
from filth. Smoke and dust are very common producers of bronchitis.
SYMPTOMS: Breathing fast, appetite poor, slight rise in temperature and
coughing. The hog is dull and stupid, refuses food, but drinks water
frequently.
TREATMENT: Preventive; avoid the above named causes, but when hogs
become affected, move them to clean, well ventilated quarters, avoiding
dust and gases, disinfect bedding and floors with some good
disinfectant, as Crude Carbolic Acid, sprayed. Also give large doses of
the hog regulator and tonic, as prescribed on the first page of this
chapter. Feed vegetables, or any easily digested food, and hot wheat
bran mashes.
In case the disease is due to lung worms, confine the animals in a
closed shed and permit them to inhale the steam from Turpentine and
water for a few minutes, by placing water and Turpentine in a tin
receptacle holding about two gallons, and inserting heated bricks or
stones into the solution.
CASTRATION
This is generally understood by every stockraiser, yet there are some
points many do not know. For instance, you should use in this operation
an antiseptic solution, as Carbolic Acid or Bichloride of Mercury. Wash
thoroughly with antiseptic yours hands and knife, also the seat of
operation and make your incision as low as possible to permit the pus to
drain out nicely. If this is not practiced, the pus will become absorbed
into the blood, producing blood poison, which may produce death, or at
the best will cause the hog to become stunted, whereas, if the operation
is performed properly, the hog will thrive, regardless of the shock from
the operation. I may add that it is much better to castrate pigs or hogs
when their stomach and intestines are empty, and it is always good
practice to feed laxative and easily digested foods sparingly after this
operation.
CHOKING
CAUSE: Vegetables, such as potatoes, etc., roots, as carrots, turnips
and sometimes pieces of bone or glass, lodge in the gullet. Paralysis of
the muscular fibres of the gullet is a very common cause of choking in
swine.
SYMPTOMS: The hog is unable to swallow, producing frothing at the mouth
and, if the obstruction cannot be dislodged, death occurs in a very
short time. Sometimes the obstruction in the gullet may be felt from the
outside with the hand.
TREATMENT: The administration of small doses of Raw Linseed or Olive
Oil, or Lard, will assist in dislodging the obstruction. Also careful
manipulation of the gullet from the outside with the hand assists in
either forcing it into the stomach or bringing it out through hog's
mouth. If vomiting can be produced, it will dislodge the obstruction. If
immediate results are not obtained from the above treatments, I would
recommend butchering the hog for meat immediately.
COLD IN THE HEAD
(Nasal Catarrh)
CAUSE: Exposure to cold; a very common condition in cold, wet weather
when hogs are allowed to sleep in manure heaps, straw stacks, or pile up
together, when they become overheated and later chill. Nasal Catarrh may
also be due to inhaling dust or irritating gases.
SYMPTOMS: The animal is stupid and feverish, coughing and sneezing
frequently; appetite is poor, eyes watery and inflamed; a discharge of
mucus from the nose will terminate in yellow pus and the nose, if
examined, is found to be inflamed and ulcerated.
TREATMENT: The best and safest treatment is to provide clean sleeping
quarters, avoid overcrowding in dusty, dirty sheds, especially during
cold weather. Pigs affected with cold in the head should be fed on
laxative food, such as boiled carrots, potatoes, apples, hot wheat bran
mashes and steamed rolled oats.
MEDICAL TREATMENT: Confine the affected hogs to a shed, close windows
and doors and any large cracks; then compel them to inhale steam from
the following mixture: Turpentine, eight ounces; Pine Tar, one pint;
Water, two gallons. Place in tin receptacle in center of shed and heat
the above solution by adding hot bricks or stones to the mixture
occasionally. Compel the hogs to inhale this steam for at least thirty
minutes twice a day. Give Chlorate of Potash in twenty grain doses three
times a day in feed or drinking water. This treatment is very successful
if the inflammation has not extended to the lungs.
DIARRHOEA IN YOUNG PIGS
(Scours)
CAUSE: Decomposed foods, slops, etc., fed to the mothers, causing them
to give toxic milk. Poorly ventilated, filthy, cold and damp pens,
insufficient exercise, lack of sunlight, raising pigs by hand or with
other sow.
SYMPTOMS: Frequent movement of the bowels, the passage being of a
grayish-white color and the odor very disagreeable. At this stage of
the disease, reliable remedies must be given or the pig will die very
soon.
The discharge from the bowels becomes very thin, the tail and legs
become soiled, loss of appetite, the pigs become weak and dull, hair
rough and it is difficult for them to move about. In very young pigs,
treatment is of little value.
TREATMENT: As Scours in pigs is a disease frequently caused by faulty
food and insanitary surroundings, a preventive treatment is of great
importance, and much better results are thus obtained than by the use of
medical agents. Medical treatment consists in first cleaning away the
irritant present in the bowels. For this purpose give one to two
tablespoonfuls of Castor Oil. At the time of farrowing all sows should
receive a light diet and be kept in clean, dry quarters. The pigs should
be allowed pure air, sunshine and exercise. If the sow appears hot and
feverish, give one to three ounces of Castor Oil in milk or swill. Avoid
feeding decomposed, moldy food, or sour milk. To check the diarrhoea in
pigs, use the following after the irritant is removed or cleaned out as
above stated: Zinc Sulphocarbolates, thirty grains; Protan, two ounces;
Pulv. Gentian Root, two ounces. Make into sixty capsules or powders and
give one, three or four times a day. The sow should receive a dose about
eight times the size of that of the pigs.
[Illustration: Photograph of three pigs.]
CHESTER WHITES.
Owned by C. A. Slepieka, Tobias, Nebr.
HOG CHOLERA
CAUSE: By the Bacillus Sius; contaminated food, stagnant water, filth,
etc., all have a tendency to aid its progress. I have seen farms,
although located in sections where Cholera was prevalent, not in the
least troubled with the malady, perhaps due to careful feeding of clean
foods, care in watering, cleanliness about the pens and sheds and
disinfecting occasionally, but no doubt a better explanation is that
those hogs received tonics, containing worm expellers, at least four
times a year. Many a case of supposed Hog Cholera is due to worms
irritating and producing inflammation of the intestines, followed by
diarrhoea. A person not familiar with the disease calls this "hog
cholera." In other cases, hogs which are fed swills from restaurants,
hotels, etc., containing soap, washing powders, small particles of
glass, etc., will die with symptoms leading a person to think they had
Hog Cholera, but if a thorough investigation is made the true cause of
death can easily be discovered.
SYMPTOMS: In true Hog Cholera, the temperature will be elevated two to
four degrees above normal. There will be a loss of appetite, vomiting,
diarrhoea, although there may be constipation when the hog is first
affected. The hog wanders off by itself to some cool, quiet place and
lies down. When it walks it will stagger and show great stiffness in its
hind parts, due to soreness of the intestines. The hair will have a
roughened appearance, the back arched, the eyes inflamed and discharging
pus, red blotches will show themselves back of the ears, inside the legs
and on the abdomen. At this stage the diarrhoea is watery, dark and
tinged with blood, and very offensive in odor, breath is very fast and
labored. The hog grows very weak and dies.
TREATMENT: Prevention must always be borne in mind. Do not feed filthy
food. Always feed good, wholesome food, and give clean water to drink.
Watch the condition of hog's bowels and regulate them by feeding. Burn
manure and bedding and disinfect carefully. Do not permit your hogs to
drink out of running streams of water, especially if Hog Cholera is in
your neighborhood. When buying hogs, it is well to keep them off by
themselves for two or three weeks, as they may be diseased. Do not
permit neighbors, their stock or dogs on your premises when Hog Cholera
is raging, as the infection of Hog Cholera can be spread very rapidly by
matter from the affected hogs adhering to the shoes of man, to the feet
of stock and dogs, etc.
I am positive that if this method were properly practiced by all hog
raisers and feeders, Hog Cholera would be a very rare disease.
SERUM TREATMENT: This is successful in some cases, and in others
unsuccessful. The latter perhaps is due to poor serums, or the disease
being so far advanced in its progress that the hogs are beyond recovery.
Serum treatment is very expensive and, as it requires a strictly septic
operation of injecting the serum, the average hog raiser or grower is
not qualified to administer the treatment properly. An additional and
necessary expense is the services of a Veterinary Surgeon. Therefore, I
strongly urge adoption of preventive measures as stated. Use some good
disinfectant, such as Crude Carbolic Acid, which destroys the Bacillus
of Hog Cholera. Also administer hog regulator and tonic as prescribed on
first page of this chapter. This will expel worms, tone the system,
regulate the bowels and fortify your hogs against Hog Cholera.
INDIGESTION
CAUSE: Worms are perhaps one of the most common causes. Unwholesome,
irritating food or swill containing soap or washing powder have a
tendency to derange the process of digestion.
SYMPTOMS: Abdominal pain, vomiting, back arched, breathing rapid and
temperature elevated from two to three degrees. There may be diarrhoea
or the animal may be constipated. Vomiting, as a rule, relieves acute
attacks by expelling the irritant from the bowels. When it takes a
chronic form, the hogs become stunted.
TREATMENT: Endeavor to find out the cause and remove it. If constipated,
give Calomel, fifteen to twenty grains, or, if diarrhoea appears, give
hog regulator and tonic as prescribed on first page of this chapter.
Feed with hot wheat bran mashes. This will expel all worms and aid
digestion.
JAUNDICE
(Yellows)
CAUSE: Liver flukes, intestinal worms, gall stones, lack of exercise,
overfeeding, or a stoppage of the bile duct.
SYMPTOMS: The white portions of the eyes take on a yellow color, as do
the membranes of the mouth, back arched, hair looks rough, vomiting,
temperature elevated, constipation, although diarrhoea is sometimes
noticed. The urine is passed frequently, and is of a dark amber color.
TREATMENT: This disease requires careful feeding and plenty of exercise.
Give Calomel, ten to twenty grains, then follow with large doses of
regulator and tonic as prescribed on first page of this chapter. It is
important in this disease, especially if due to worms. Feed clean swill
and vegetables. Give hogs all the pure water they will drink.
KIDNEY CONGESTION
CAUSE: Hogs are subject to various injuries about the kidneys, due to a
large number of hogs piling up, exposure to cold, wet rains, etc.
SYMPTOMS: Small quantities of dark colored urine are passed frequently,
appetite poor, no energy to move about. Hogs lie around a great deal; at
times they may be paralyzed and drag their hind quarters.
TREATMENT: Apply cloths or blankets wrung out of hot water over the
loin; also give Potassium Acetate in twenty grain doses four or five
times a day in drinking water. Feed soft, sloppy food, containing
regulator and tonic as prescribed on the first page of this chapter. It
contains nerve stimulants, just what is required in paralysis.
[Illustration: Photograph of pig.]
GRAND CHAMPION DUROC BOAR.
Economy Stock Farm, Shenandoah, Iowa.
KIDNEY WORM
CAUSE: Damp, filthy surroundings seem to favor the growth of embryos of
this worm. They are taken into the digestive canal with the food and
eventually pass to the region of the kidneys, where they find conditions
favorable in which to multiply.
SYMPTOMS: May produce paralysis of the hind quarters, in which case the
animal would not exhibit such marked tenderness on being pressed over
the loins with the fingers as it would if the weakness of the hind
quarters was due to a sprain or to rheumatism of the loins. Occasionally
hogs may suffer from the presence of one or more worms in the kidneys;
but the ailment is rarely fatal, becoming so only after a long time of
suffering resulting in a degeneration of one or both kidneys. It is
almost impossible to diagnose the presence of worms in the kidneys of
hogs, except by chance through a microscopic examination of the urine.
If worms are found in the kidneys of a hog that has died or been
slaughtered for food it may then be reasonably supposed that other hogs
of the same herd not acting normal are infected with worms of the same
species.
TREATMENT: Teaspoonful doses of Turpentine in milk three times a week is
the only treatment I could recommend. Preventive measures is the only
practical method of treating a disease of this nature. Give your hogs
pure water and food. Disinfect pens occasionally and keep them clean.
LICE ON HOGS
Dip, spray or scrub your hogs with some good Coal Tar disinfectant, but
whatever remedy is used it should be applied more than once which, of
course, causes considerable work where there is a large number of hogs
infested, unless dipped, which is more quickly done. The reason for
repeated applications being necessary is that although the lice which
hogs pick up from the ground, bedding and rubbing places, may be killed
by first application, it often does not affect the nits, which remain
intact and hatch within a week or ten days. A new crop of Lice appears
on the hog from this source. Remove all manure and bedding from pens and
sheds and burn it. Disinfect floors and spray sides of shed, pens and
rubbing places with disinfectants, one part to seventy-two parts of
water, once a month and you will be handsomely repaid for your labor.
LUNG FEVER
(Inflammation of the Lungs)
CAUSE: Sudden changes, exposure to storms, piling up of hogs during cold
nights, or sleeping in manure heaps, old straw stacks, etc.
SYMPTOMS: Pig or hog is taken with shivering spells, is stupid, his back
is arched, loss of appetite, temperature elevated two to four degrees
above normal, short hurried breathing, generally accompanied with cough,
which is deep and hoarse. As a rule the hog is constipated.
TREATMENT: Place in good, clean, warm, well ventilated quarters, free
from drafts. Keep water before them at all times, adding Saltpeter, one
teaspoonful to every gallon of water. If constipated, do not give
physics; give injections of soap and warm water; also administer about
one-half teaspoonful of Pine Tar on the tongue with a wooden paddle.
This adheres to the tongue and gradually dissolves and gives excellent
results, as it is very soothing to the organs of breathing. During the
convalescent stage, give hog regulator and tonic as prescribed on first
page of this chapter.
LUNG WORMS
CAUSE: By threadlike worms varying in length from one-half to one and
one-half inches and of a brownish-white color. They are found in the
windpipe and tubes leading into the lungs. The adult worms in the lungs
produce large quantities of eggs, which are coughed up with mucus and
become scattered over premises where other hogs are permitted to walk.
The hogs inhale the dust containing the eggs into their lungs, where the
eggs find moisture sufficient for their development.
SYMPTOMS: Severe coughing spells. Large quantities of mucus will escape
from the nose and mouth. The hog becomes stunted, although he may eat
fairly well, but if not relieved, the worms collect in the Bronchi and
produce sudden death due to suffocation. The worms may set up an
inflammation of the lining membranes of the lungs, which is sometimes
taken for Swine Plague, or Cholera. This disease is not uncommon,
especially in old, filthy, poorly drained hog houses and pastures.
TREATMENT: Confine the affected hogs to a shed; close the windows and
doors and any large cracks, then compel the hogs to inhale steam from
the following mixture: Turpentine, eight ounces; Pine Tar, one pint;
Water, two gallons. Place in tin receptacle in center of the shed and
heat the above solution by adding hot bricks or stones to the mixture
occasionally. Compel them to inhale this steam for at least thirty
minutes twice a day. Feed wholesome food to which add hog tonic as
prescribed on first page of this chapter. A strong, vigorous hog may
have worms, but it retains its vitality so long as it is well fed.
MANGE
CAUSE: By the Sarcoptes Scabei. This parasite burrows under the outer
surface of the skin.
SYMPTOMS: The parasite usually manifests itself on the skin under the
armpits, thighs and inside of the fore legs. At first small red blotches
or pimples appear, and these gradually spread as the parasites multiply
and burrow under the skin.
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