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.



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.



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.



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.



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



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.

MEDICAL TREATMENT: If due to poisonous plants, etc., when the first symptoms of Abortion or poisoning are noticed, give six to ten ounces of Castor Oil. Warm the oil so it will run freely. Set the sheep or goat upon its haunches and pour very slowly. Great care must be exercised so as not to let any of the oil enter the lungs, as it may produce fatal pneumonia. Feed food that is easily digested and supply them with pure water to drink. When the general condition is weak or run down, so to speak, the following tonic is recommended: Pulv. Gentian Root, one ounce; Pulv. Nux Vomica, one ounce; Pulv. Potassium Nitrate, one ounce; Hyposulphite of Soda, three ounces; Protan, three ounces. Mix and make into twenty-four powders. Give one powder two or three times daily well back on the tongue.

REMEMBER all tonics are bitter, therefore beware of any so-called tonics that the animals eat readily as these possess no real tonic values.



BLACK SCOURS

(Verminous Gastritis—Strongylosis)

CAUSE: Due to a worm (Strongylus Contortus) measuring one-fourth to one inch in length, inhabiting the intestines and the fourth stomach of sheep and goats. This disease is frequently seen in low, marshy pastures, where animals infested with the worm pass the ova or egg with the feces, the eggs developing into an embryotic worm which is again taken with the food or water by non-infected animals, whereby this disease again attacks the intestines and fully matured worms develop.

SYMPTOMS: Naturally, the symptoms vary according to the violence of the attack. In well developed cases, the animal strains to defecate, and passes shreds of intestinal mucous along with blood-stained feces. Finally a severe dysentery takes place, the animal becomes correspondingly weak, and death takes place in two or three days. Some cases become chronic, in which death does not take place for a month or more. However, the latter is uncommon. Other signs are staggering gait, trembling, eyes fixed, showing wild expression, neck turned to one side. Then the animal appears as if in pain, and looks around at the flank frequently. There is a chopping of the jaws, and a very free flow of stringy saliva dropping from the mouth. When an animal dies from the symptoms just described, it should be cut open and carefully examined for this particular parasite, which can be easily seen with the naked eye.

TREATMENT: Very successfully treated when the first symptoms appear by administering one ounce of Gasolene with a pint of Milk. To lambs or kids give half the dose. Every precaution should be taken so as to prevent the drench from entering the lungs. Perhaps the best method is to set the animal on its haunches and pour the liquid slowly and carefully; if they cough, let them down. Any drench entering the lungs produces fatal pneumonia. Feed good nourishing food, and supply them with fresh water to drink.



CATARRH

(Cold in the Head)

CAUSE: Atmospheric changes, sudden exposure to cold, wet weather after being accustomed to warm, comfortable surroundings, inhaling dust, smoke and gases or, in fact, anything that will produce an irritation to the membranes lining the nose; commonly seen in the spring and fall.

SYMPTOMS: Chilling, elevation of temperature, nose dry, breathing hurried, sneezing, coughing, dullness, appetite varied. In the first stages of the malady, the nostrils are considerably inflamed, but in the course of a few days the temperature subsides and a yellowish-white discharge flows from the nose continuously.

TREATMENT: Keep the affected animals dry, omit drafts, feed good, wholesome food, and provide bedding for them to lie upon. In the first stages of this malady, it is advisable to confine the animals in a barn, closing the windows and doors and compelling them to inhale steam from boiling hot water and Pine Tar. The best method to accomplish this is by placing a tub about half full of water in the center of the barn and add about one gallon of Pine Tar. Then heat bricks or stones and place them into the tub. In this way a large number can be treated at one time. The sheep should be compelled to inhale this steam for thirty to forty minutes twice a day. In addition to the above, the following is very beneficial: Chlorate of Potash, one ounce; Nitrate of Potassi, two ounces. Make into sixteen powders and give one powder to each sheep in its drinking water two or three times daily. Feed hot bran mashes and vegetables if possible.



DIARRHOEA

(Dysentery)

CAUSE: Diarrhoea, or Dysentery, is a sign of some irritation of the intestines resulting in increased secretions, or increased muscular contraction, or both. The irritation is sometimes the result of chilling from exposure, improper feeding, as contaminated or frozen foods, irritating foods, drinking cold or stagnant water, indigestion, organic diseases of the intestines, or parasitic diseases. (See Strongylosis.)

SYMPTOMS: Movements from the bowels are frequent, at first consisting of thin fecal matter, but as this malady progresses it becomes watery and offensive in smell, and streaked with blood. At first the animal shows no constitutional disturbances, but eventually it becomes weak and shows signs of abdominal pain by looking around to the flank, throwing the feet together, lying down, or moving restlessly. Sometimes this disease is accompanied by fever, great depression, loss of strength, rapid loss of flesh; terminating in death.

TREATMENT: Determine the cause and remove it if possible. When the disease is due to irritating properties of food which have been fed the animal, it is well to give a physic of Castor Oil in two to six ounce doses, according to the size of the animal. When there is debility, want of appetite, and temperature normal, but continuous water discharge from the bowels, give Protan, two ounces; Gum Catechu, one ounce; Pulv. Ginger, one ounce; Zinc Sulphocarbolates, eight grains. Make into sixteen powders and give one powder on the tongue every three or four hours, according to the severity of the attack. Feed food that is easily digested, as wheat bran mashes, steamed rolled oats, etc. See that the drinking water is fresh and clean.



FOOT ROT

(Foul in the Foot)

CAUSE: Foot Rot is produced by inflammation of the soft structures of the foot between the claws or toes. It may be due to an overgrowth and inward pressure, etc., or from filth accumulating and hardening between the claws, producing inflammation and softening or ulceration of the skin in the interdigital space (between the claws). Under some conditions several sheep or goats in the same drove become affected at the same time, leading many to think that the disease is contagious. When Foot Rot appears in a very short time, among sheep or goats, this condition can almost always be traced to filth, irritation, etc.

SYMPTOMS: The animal is observed to limp when walking. On careful examination of the foot we find it hot, swollen above the claws and in the soft parts between them, frequently spreading the claws apart to a considerable extent, or the inflammation may have advanced to softening and sloughing of the soft structure between the claws. If this condition is neglected at this stage, deep abscesses form and the pus burrows under the horny wall, and the joints within the hoof become inflamed and destroyed, in which case the treatment is difficult and recovery will be very arduous.

TREATMENT: In the early stages of the disease, before the pus burrows beneath the horny structures of the foot, any foreign substances impacted between the claws should be removed. Then place a trough about one foot wide, six to eight inches high, and twelve to sixteen feet long, and fill with water and Coal Tar Dip, diluted in proportions of one part dip to fifty parts of water. Build a fence on each side of the trough, just wide enough for one sheep to pass through, and compel every sheep to walk through the solution slowly.

This treatment should be repeated once or twice a week until the lameness has disappeared. In cases where deep sloughing has taken place under the horny structures, saturate a piece of oakum or cotton in the following liniment: Oil of Origanum, Oil of Pisis, Oil of Turpentine, each four ounces. Place it between the claws and hold it there by means of a bandage. Repeat this application every other day. The animals that do not show signs of improvement under this treatment in a few days invariably have the joints of the foot affected and should not be driven.



DELAINE MERINO RAM AND EWES.



FORAGE POISONING

CAUSE: This condition is produced by animals eating various foliage (Grass or Shrubbery) at a time when the peculiar poisonous principles are developed in it, as appears to happen in certain seasons. The disease is liable to affect a large proportion of animals which are under the same grazing conditions.

SYMPTOMS: Generally takes two or three days to develop. The animal gradually becomes more or less unconscious and paralyzed, staggers when forced to walk, and it may have great difficulty in keeping on its feet, it is extremely averse to going down, and leans for support against any convenient object. It breathes in a snorting manner. The mucous membranes are tinged with yellow, and the bowels constipated. In other cases severe diarrhoea follows, and the animal becomes very weak and dies in convulsions or spasms. Recovery may be expected in cases that are not marked by severe symptoms.

TREATMENT: Endeavor to find out the true cause and remove it if possible. Change range or pasture for a short time; this has successfully eradicated this malady. The animal showing the above symptoms should receive four to eight ounces of Castor Oil regardless of whether there is diarrhoea or constipation. In either case the irritation will be relieved by its laxative effect. In cases where diarrhoea becomes chronic, after administering the Castor Oil, the following will be found very efficient in its control: Protan, three ounces; Ginger, one ounce; Gum Catechu, two ounces. Make into sixteen powders and place one powder well back on the tongue every four or six hours. Feed clean, wholesome food and supply clean, fresh water to drink. Provide shelter for the animal if the weather is hot.



GARGET

(Congestion and Inflammation of the Udder)

CAUSE: As a rule, in Garget or Congestion of the Udder in heavy milking ewes, just before and after lambing, the glands of the udder enlarge, become hot, tense and tender and a slight pasty swelling extends forward from the glands on the lower surface of the abdomen. This physiological condition is looked upon as a matter of course and disposed of in two or three days when the secretions of milk have been fully established. General breaking up of the udder may be greatly hastened by the sucking of a hungry lamb and the kneading it gives the udder with its nose is beneficial. The above mentioned congestion or Garget may emerge into active inflammation resulting from continued exposure to cold weather, standing in cold drafts or injury to the udder from stone, clubs, feet of other animals, overfeeding or rich food, like cotton seed or soy bean, sore teats or a ewe losing her lamb in the period of full milking; serious disturbances of the animal's health is liable to fall upon the udder.

SYMPTOMS: The symptoms and mode of attack vary in different cases. Following exposure to cold drafts or cold, wet weather, there is usually severe chilling with cold ears and limbs and general dryness and brittleness of the wool. This is followed by a flush of heat, the ears and limbs become unnaturally warm and the glands swell up and become firm and solid in one or both sides of the udder. The muzzle is hot and dry, temperature elevated two or three degrees above normal, pulse firm and quick, excited breathing, appetite and rumination suspended, bowels constipated, urine scanty and the yield of milk may be entirely suppressed in the affected side.

TREATMENT: Determine the cause and remove it if possible. Move the affected animal to comfortable quarters, supply liberal quantifies of bedding for the animal to lie upon. Give two to six ounces of Glauber Salts dissolved in a pint of hot water. Permit it to cool. Place the ewe on her haunches and drench carefully. Feed laxative foods as hot bran mashes, steamed rolled oats and vegetables, supplying the animal with pure water to drink, to which add two drams of Hyposulphite of Soda, two or three times a day. In some cases it is advisable to apply Camphorated Ointment to the udder once or twice a day.



GID

(Sturdy)

CAUSE: Gid is produced by a bladder worm, a larva or an egg of the tapeworm infesting the intestines of dogs, wolves and coyotes. The eggs of these tapeworms are scattered over the range or pastures in the droppings of infested dogs, wolves or coyotes, and these when swallowed in the food or water by the sheep, hatch out and the embryos migrate to the brain, spinal cord, etc., where they develop into cysts, bladder worms or water bags, etc. When the organs of sheep, thus infested, are eaten by dogs, wolves or coyotes, the cyst worms are also likely to be swallowed and then develop into mature tapeworms.

SYMPTOMS: In case a large number of embryos become lodged in the brain of sheep, the first signs will be shown in about eight to twelve days. Bladder worms produce a congestion of the brain which causes dullness, dizziness, indicating an affection of the brain, walking or turning in circles. If the left side of the brain is affected they will turn to the left; if the right side is affected, they will turn to the right. The head eventually droops, the eyes become red and the vision is impaired, the head very hot over the affected region, the affected sheep become separated from the flock. Sometimes the sheep are partially or completely paralyzed.

PREVENTION: Prevention is the only method by which this disease can be eradicated. Prevent the sheep from becoming infected with these parasites. Stray dogs, wolves or coyotes should be killed whenever found, and dogs too valuable to kill should be kept free from tapeworm. Meat should not be fed to dogs unless cooked or known to be free from tapeworm cysts.



GRUBS IN THE HEAD

(Head Maggot)

CAUSE: Grubs in the head of sheep are produced by the Sheep Gadfly which is yellowish-gray in color with five well divided rings around its body, covered over with fine hair and the lower portion of the head white. This fly is somewhat larger than the ordinary house fly. It attacks sheep and goats during the Summer and Fall and deposits its larva about the sheep's and goat's nostrils. This larva attaches itself to the mucous membrane of the nostrils with two hooklets by which it gradually works into the air cavities of the head, remaining there for about ten months. Then it again passes from the nostrils, burrows into the ground and becomes a fully matured Gadfly in six or eight weeks, which completes its life cycle, the head of the sheep or goat being its intermediate host where the newly born Gadfly again attaches its larva.

SYMPTOMS: When sheep or goats are attacked by this Gadfly, they run, strike at the nose with their front feet, rub the nose on the ground or against other sheep. In case only three or four larvae gain entrance to the sinuses of the head, they produce very little, if any, ill effects, but where they become numerous, they cause the animal to cough and sneeze continually, discharge from the nose, which is occasionally tinged with blood. The appetite becomes impaired, the animal shows signs of emaciation, becomes very weak, raises the nose in the air, but eventually becomes so weak it reels when walking and finally lies down. It becomes so weak it cannot toss the head or rise, and dies.

PREVENTION TREATMENT: Very successful. Paint the sheep's or goat's nose with Pine Tar, or better still, place salt in a trough, covering it with boards, with holes bored in them just large enough for the animal to insert its nose. Smear Pine Tar about the holes once or twice a week. This treatment has proven very efficient in localities where sheep Gadflies are numerous.

MEDICAL TREATMENT: After the animal once becomes infected with these grubs, bore holes (trephine) through the skull with a sharp instrument made for this purpose and remove the grubs. This requires considerable amount of skill and should be attempted only by a competent Veterinarian.



HOVEN

(Bloating—Acute Tynpanitis—Acute Indigestion)

CAUSE: Hoven is caused by various kinds of food which produce indigestion or fermentation and resultant gases in the rumen or paunch. When sheep are first turned into young clover, they eat so greedily of it that bloating frequently results. Turnips, potatoes and cabbage may also produce it. Middlings and corn meal also frequently give rise to it. In this connection it may be stated that an excessive quantity of any food, before mentioned, may bring on this disorder, or it may not be due to excessive eating but to eating too fast. Sometimes the quality of food is at fault. Grass, clover or alfalfa, when wet with dew or rain soaked, frequently produce digestive disorders and bloating follows. Frozen roots or potatoes covered with white frost should be regarded as dangerous. When food has been eaten too hastily or when it is cold and wet, the digestive process is imperfectly performed and the food contained in the paunch ferments, during which process large quantities of gas are formed. This same result may follow when a sheep is choking, as the obstruction in the gullet prevents the eructation or passing of gas from the stomach so that the gas continues to accumulate until severe bloating results.

SYMPTOMS: The swelling of the left flank is very characteristic, as in well marked cases the flank at its upper part rises above the level of the backbone and when struck with the tips of the fingers emits a drum-like sound. The animal has an anxious expression, moves uneasily and is evidently distressed. If relief is not obtained in time the sheep breathes with difficulty, reels in walking or standing and in a short time falls down and dies from suffocation. The distention of the stomach or rumen may become so great that it pushes the diaphragm (the membrane separating the lung and intestinal cavity) forward against the lungs, so as to squeeze and stop their movements, thus preventing the animal from breathing and in some instances the case may be complicated by a rupture of the stomach.

TREATMENT: Do not waste any time. Puncture about three inches downward and forward from the point of the hip bone with a clean sharp knife, or any instrument that is clean and sharp. A special instrument made for this purpose, the trocar, is a very useful instrument on the farm.

Sometimes bloating becomes chronic, and if such is the case dissolve two teaspoonfuls of Turpentine in one-half pint of milk and drench the animal very carefully, as some of this drench may escape into the lungs and produce fatal pneumonia. Set a sheep upon its haunches to give the medicine; if it coughs let it down quickly to prevent strangulation.



INDIGESTION

(Dyspepsia)

CAUSE: Irritant food, damaged food, overloaded paunch or sudden change of diet may produce this disease. Want of exercise predisposes an animal to it and it is caused by woody or indigestible food. Food which possesses astringent (drying) properties tends to check the digestive secretions and may also act as an exciting cause. Food in excessive quantity may lead to disorders of the digestion and to this disease. It is very likely to appear towards the end of the protracted season of draught, therefore a deficiency of water must be regarded as one of the conditions which favors its development.

SYMPTOMS: Appetite diminished; rumination, or chewing the cud, irregular; tongue coated, mouth slimy, feces passed apparently not well digested and offensive in odor, dullness and fullness of the flanks. This disease may, in some cases, assume a chronic character, for in addition to the above mentioned symptoms, slight bloating of the left flank may be observed. The animal breathes with great difficulty and grunts with each respiration. The ears and legs alternately become hot and cold. The rumination, or cud chewing, at this stage ceases and the usual rumbling sound in the stomach is not audible. The passage of feces is entirely suspended and the animal passes only a little mucus occasionally. Sometimes constipation and diarrhoea alternate; there is a rise in temperature in many cases. The disease continues for a few days or a week in this mild form, while the severe form of the disease may last for several weeks. In the severe form the emaciation and loss of strength may be very great. There is no appetite, no rumination or rumbling sound in the stomach or intestines. The mouth is hot and sticky, the eyes have retracted in their sockets and the milk secretion has ceased. In such cases the outlook for recovery is unfavorable. The affected animals fall away in flesh and become very weak, which is shown by the fact that one finds the animal lying down.

On examination of sheep or goats which have died of this disease, it is found that the lining membranes of the fourth stomach and intestines, particularly the small intestines, are red, swollen, streaked with deep red or blushed lines or spotted. The lining of the third stomach is more or less softened and may be easily pealed off. The third stomach contains dry, hard food masses, closely adhering to its walls. In some cases the brain appears to become affected, probably from the pain endured and weakness and absorption of poisons generated in the digestive canal. In such cases there is weakness and a staggering gait; the sheep or goats do not appear to see, and will consequently run against obstacles. After a time it falls down and gives up to a violent disordered struggle. This delirious condition is succeeded by stupor and death.

TREATMENT: Successful; if fed in its first stages on small quantities of roots, sweet silage or select grasses or hay. This should be offered several times daily. Very little food should be allowed if the animal is constipated, in which case give two to four ounces of Glauber Salts dissolved in a pint of hot water. When it cools, set the animal on its haunches and pour slowly and carefully. If they strangle or cough let them down, as some of the drench may escape into the lungs and produce lung complications. After the Glauber Salts have acted and if there is a lack of appetite and the animal does not chew the cud regularly, the following tonic will be found beneficial: Pulv. Gentian Root, one ounce; Pulv. Nux Vomica, one ounce; Pulv. Anise Seed, two ounces. Mix thoroughly and make into thirty-two powders. Give one powder two or three times a day well back on the tongue. The food must be rather laxative and of a digestible character. After an attack of this form of indigestion, ice cold water should be avoided. Food should be given in moderate quantities, as any excess by overtaxing the digestive functions may bring on a relapse.



CHAMPION SHROPSHIRE RAM. Owned by McKerrow & Son, Pewaukee, Wis.



JAUNDICE

(Liver Congestion—Inflammation of the Liver)

CAUSE: Jaundice or Liver Congestion is due to constipation where there is an inactive or torpid condition of the bowels and the bile which passes into the intestines is absorbed and produces a yellow staining of Jaundice. Jaundice is merely a symptom of a disease and ought to direct attention to ascertain if possible the cause or causes which give rise to it. Inflammation of the liver usually occurs as a complication of infectious diseases. It may also occur as a complication of intestinal catarrh, or in hot weather from overheating, eating decomposed or irritating food or from drinking stagnant water.

SYMPTOMS: The signs are sometimes obscure and their real significance is frequently overlooked. The most prominent symptoms are the yellowness of the white of the eyes and of the mucous membranes lining the mouth, appetite poor, body presents an emaciated appearance, the feces is light in color, while the urine is likely to be unusually dark and there is great thirst present. The gait is weak and the animal lies down more than usual and while doing so frequently has its head around resting on the side of its chest. Temperature is slightly elevated above normal and breathing is somewhat hurried.

TREATMENT: Remove the cause if possible. Give Glauber Salts in three to four ounce doses, diluted in a pint of hot water permitted to cool and give at one dose. When drenching be very careful, as some of the liquid may escape into the lungs and produce severe complications. Feed green food or hot bran mashes and supply them with a liberal quantity of pure water to drink.



LIVER FLUKE

CAUSE: The parasite that produces Liver Fluke in sheep has an oblong, flat, leaf-like body, brownish in color, measuring from one-fourth to one-half inch in length. Sheep become infected with this Liver Fluke from grazing on low marshy pastures infected by the larvae of Liver Fluke.

SYMPTOMS: A sheep, when first infected with Liver Fluke, generally thrives as the parasites tend to stimulate the process of digestion, being located as they are in the liver, but eventually rumination becomes irregular, the sheep becomes anemic, weak and the visible mucous membranes of the mouth, nose and eyes become pale, bloodless, taking on a yellowish color as the disease progresses. Swellings will also appear under the jaw along the neck and under the lung cavity. The process of breathing becomes feeble and temperature irregular. Pregnant ewes will generally abort and nursing ewes' milk will become so deprived of its nourishing properties that the lambs become emaciated, although not necessarily affected with the Liver Fluke.

PREVENTION: Move to non-infected pastures, supply the animals grazing on low marshy pastures with a liberal amount of salt, also introduce frogs, toads, carp, etc., into the marshy ponds, as they destroy the parasite in its first stages of development, feeding on their intermediate host, the snail.

MEDICAL TREATMENT: This is of little value. After an animal once becomes infected with the parasite, it never makes a complete recovery, although Calomel administered in ten grain doses every two or three weeks appears to have a very good effect in some cases, if fed freely on nitrogenous food and permitted to drink well of pure running water.



LUNG FEVER

(Pneumonia—Congestion of the Lungs—Pulmonary Apoplexy)

Acute congestion and inflammation of the spongy tissues of the lungs is frequently seen in sheep, the same as in other animals.

CAUSE: Sheep that are over driven are subject to Lung Congestion in acute or chronic form and sometimes Pulmonary Apoplexy, and especially when in a plethoric condition are predisposed to inflammation of the lungs. The exciting cause is very much the same as in different diseases of the air passage and it is not uncommon for the inflammation to extend from these parts of the lungs. However, there are a number of causes in addition to those already mentioned. It frequently results when sheep are accustomed to warm, comfortable quarters and are changed to cold, drafty pens, or shipping some distance in open stock cars during cold weather. In fact, any sudden chilling of the body is a common cause of lung disorders. Giving fat sheep too much exercise when they are not accustomed to it is a very frequent cause of Congestion and Inflammation of the Lungs. This may occur when they are chased by dogs, etc., or when driven to a distant market at too rapid a gait. Exercise during the hot summer months is apt to cause congestion of the lung substance, as well as heat stroke. Dipping sheep during cold weather may chill the body and result in this disease.

SYMPTOMS: If due to severe exercise, the animal appears greatly exhausted and the Congestion of the Lungs is marked. Death may occur in this stage of the disease. Inflammation of the Lungs usually begins with a chill and is followed by a high fever. The sheep stand most of the time and may eat nothing, or very little. The breathing is hurried at first, but when the lungs become badly involved, it is also labored. The character of the pulse beats varies, depending on the extent of the inflammation and the stage of the disease. In most cases the pulse is full and quick during the early stages of the disease. A very weak pulse is present in severe and fatal cases of Pneumonia. The visible mucous membranes have a red colored appearance and there may be a slight discharge from the nostrils. The expression of the face is anxious and distressed in severe cases and rigors and chilling of the body occur. The respiratory sounds are more or less normal. The cough at first is deep and dry; later it becomes loose and moist. It may be accompanied by a hemorrhage during this stage of the disease. Other respiratory sounds are revealed by placing the ear to the side of the chest walls and listening to the sound of the lungs. This cannot be practiced in long wooled sheep with satisfaction, as the chest walls are so thick that the lung sounds are deadened, or the noise made by the animal hides the respiratory murmurs in the very early stages of Inflammation of the Lungs. A crepitating or crackling sound can be heard in the diseased parts and louder sounds than normal in the healthy areas. Later when the engorgement of the lung substance occurs and the air cells become filled with an inflammatory serum, the respiratory sounds are deadened, but on returning to the normal, a rattling sound occurs. These symptoms help greatly in determining the animal's condition and in watching the progress of the disease. The chances for the recovery depend on the extent and the acuteness of the inflammation. Careless handling, exercising, etc., lessen the chances for a favorable termination in the disease, but good care helps more to bring about recovery than the medical treatment. The recovery is more unfavorable in fat than in lean sheep, as the inflammation is usually more severe in the former. The course is from seven to twenty-one days and it may become chronic if the irritation is kept up. In such cases, unthriftiness is a prominent sign.

TREATMENT: The preventive treatment in Pneumonia must not be overlooked. Briefly, it consists in avoiding such conditions as may predispose the animal to the disease or act in any way as an exciting cause. Careful nursing is a very important part of the treatment. The sheep should be given a comfortable, well ventilated shed and kept as quiet as possible. If the bowels become constipated, give two or three ounces of Castor Oil and feed sloppy food. As one attack predisposes the sheep to a second, it should be protected from severe cold, or the other extreme, heat, for a month after making a complete recovery.

The following prescription will be found very beneficial: Iodide of Ammonia, one-half ounce; Chlorate of Potassi, one ounce; Pulv. Nux Vomica, one ounce. Make into twenty-four powders and give one powder every four hours well back on the tongue. Continue this treatment until the animal has recovered.



CHAMPION COTSWOLD EWES. Owned by F. A. Koser, Rickreall, Ore.



LUNG WORMS, LAMB DISEASE

(Verminous Bronchitis)

CAUSE: Due to a white thread-like worm (Strongylus Filaria) varying in length from one to three inches. These worms affect and live in the trachea (windpipe) and bronchial tubes. Infected animals, in coughing, expel fertilized eggs which develop on the grass and stagnant water. The larvae are again taken up either in the drinking water or in eating grass or hay gathered on low marshy soil. Warm wet weather favors their development.

SYMPTOMS: This worm is liable to attack a number of animals at the same time. The weakest sheep and young lambs are the first to show signs by coughing forcibly, distressing, hacking and convulsive in character. A stringy mucus is sometimes expelled during the spasm of coughing. This mucus contains worms which can be detected, or their ova observed under a magnifying glass. In the latter stages of the disease, they cough severely at night. These attacks have a sub-acute character and prove very exhausting. The parasite by becoming entwined in balls severely affects the animal's breathing which is always remarkably labored in the latter stages of the disease. The animal refuses to eat, becomes emaciated, anemic, mucous membranes of the eyes, mouth and nose become very pale and the sheep die in convulsions from suffocation.

PREVENTIVE TREATMENT: Avoid grazing your sheep on low marshy soil, especially during warm wet weather. Young lambs and weak ewes are especially susceptible to this disease.

MEDICAL TREATMENT: The writer has tried various treatments as fumigation with different substances and injection of remedies into the windpipe by the use of a hypodermic syringe, etc., but none have proven very successful, from a practical standpoint. I would recommend placing the affected animals in a tightly closed barn or shed, in the center of which place a pan of red hot coals and cover with Sulphur.

A person should remain in the barn or shed as long as he possibly can and after the fumes become so irritating that he cannot endure them any longer, he should immediately make his exit. The sheep should be compelled to stay a minute or two longer and then quickly open the doors and windows. Repeat this treatment once or twice a week. Feed affected animals well. Give them fresh water to drink and protect them from exposure. This treatment, as above described, has given very good results, providing the parasites were not too numerous.



SCAB

(Mange)

CAUSE: The mange mite (Psoroptes Communis). This parasite is equipped with stylets which pierce the skin at the seat where the mange mite penetrates the skin, and produces small red spots followed by a blister filled with serum, which ruptures, the serum drying and forming a small scab. It is in this way that innumerable mange mites cause the piling up of scabs thus producing a very scaly condition. As Mange advances, the scaly patches eventually pile up until they attain the thickness of one-half inch, unless these scabs have been severely rubbed.

SYMPTOMS: Very easily detected, as a bunch of sheep that have been recently infected will be uneasy or restless, rubbing, against fences, posts, brush, etc., causing bunches of wool to loosen. The itching seems to be more intense at night and during warm weather. The affected animals will even make attempts to bite themselves, due to the agony produced by the mange mite. If the skin is examined by the aid of a magnifying glass, the mange mite can be easily noticed, or by scraping the skin with a knife and placing the scabs on a dark paper and exposed to the warmth of the sun, the mange mite moving about can readily be seen with the naked eye. Mangy sheep become very poor and eventually die.

PREVENTION: This is important, for although the disease is treated with very good results, the mange mite annoy the sheep until they become very weak and emaciated and the loss of wool is enormous due to the affected animal continually rubbing against fences, brush, etc.

TREATMENT: Consists of using various dips, as Lime and Sulphur, which is recommended by the United States Bureau of Animal Industry. This is very effective and inexpensive. Scabby sheep should be dipped a week or ten days after shearing; two dippings are necessary at the interval of ten days. After dipping, move to non-infected range or pastures.



TICK

(Louse Fly)

CAUSE: The tick that infects sheep has a very small head sunken into its round body. The head possesses a flexible trunk or snout that penetrates the skin. Through this trunk, the ticks derive their nourishment by sucking the blood from the body of the sheep. The tick is also provided with three pairs of legs. The female lays her young in the form of a spun egg (cocoon) which is oblong in shape and brown in color. This egg is cemented to the wool of sheep where young ticks are hatched in about four to six weeks.

SYMPTOMS: Long wooled sheep are more susceptible to this tick as their wool provides shelter for both the tick and its eggs. After shearing the sheep the ticks have a tendency to leave the body and to migrate to the legs or to unshorn lambs where their snouts or trunks pierce the skin which appears to become infected, producing a swelling and inflammation. The infected sheep run, scratch and bite themselves. When these ticks become developed in large quantities, they produce a paleness of the mucous membranes of the eyes, mouth and nose, as the ticks suck large quantities of blood, which produces an anemic condition. The sheep become poor, weak and unthrifty.

TREATMENT: Satisfactorily treated by dipping infected sheep in Coal Tar dips or Emulsions of Crude Petroleum. Shearing the sheep has a good effect, but care must be exercised as the ticks then rapidly migrate to the lambs.



DISEASES OF POULTRY

Causes, Symptoms and Treatments



White Plymouth Rocks, Raycroft Farm, Adrian, Mich.



CHAPTER V



AIR SAC MITE

CAUSE: Produced by a parasite called Cylodites Nudus, which bears a close resemblance to the parasite causing mange or scabies in the domesticated animal. Owing to the peculiar construction of their breathing organs fowls are more susceptible to parasites than animals. In addition to affecting the lungs, the Air Sac Mite may extend its operations to the intestines, kidneys, liver and bones.

SYMPTOMS: Unthriftiness is first noticed, but after the parasites become numerous, the fowl shows signs of difficult breathing, perhaps terminating in bronchial pneumonia. In some cases death occurs without apparent cause. The bird will be inactive, becomes separated from the rest of the flock, comb pale, head drawn close to the body, wings hang pendulous, lose flesh, breathing becomes hard, coughing, sneezing and a rattling from the mucus in the windpipe is heard. Death is produced from suffocation.

TREATMENT: Separate the sick from the healthy fowls. Disinfect coops and runways of both sick and healthy birds with Crude Carbolic Acid, undiluted. Also fumigate the fowls in their coops with steam from hot water and Pine Tar. This may be done by placing the water and Tar in a pan and then inserting a hot stone or brick in the solution. This perhaps is the simplest method of fumigation. Also mix Sulphur in their feed regularly.



APOPLEXY

(Hemorrhage of the Brain)

Due to the rupture of a blood vessel of the brain and pressure from the escaping blood.

CAUSE: Mechanical injuries, straining when laying eggs (hens are frequently found dead on the nest from this cause), overfeeding, stimulating food, etc., all tend to produce apoplexy.

SYMPTOMS: Appear very suddenly, bird is seen to walk unsteadily, falls, or perhaps is found dead.

TREATMENT: In mild attacks, apply cold water or ice to fowl's head until thoroughly cooled. Give one-half grain of Calomel, feed soft food, compel the bird to exercise. Owing to the loss of blood a tonic will be necessary. Pulv. Gentian Root, Pulv. Saltpeter, Capsicum and Ferri Sulphate (Pulv.) equal parts one ounce. Mix and place one teaspoonful in feed for every twenty-five fowls. This tonic purifies and builds up the blood, just what is needed in this particular condition.



BALDNESS

(Favus)

CAUSE: Due to fungi.

SYMPTOMS: The first noticeable sign is the whitish appearance of the comb due to gray spots about the size of a pin head. As the disease progresses, this condition spreads to other parts of the body; the feathers look rough and dry and break easily. The fowl grows weaker, refuses to eat and if not properly treated, dies.

TREATMENT: Remove the scabs by separating the feathers and using a brush. Apply Sulphur Ointment. Repeat this treatment after two or three days. Great care must be taken to prevent the fowl from chilling or taking cold.



BEAK AND THROAT OBSTRUCTION

CAUSE: Lodgment in the beak or food canal of a foreign substance, such as a kernel of corn, sunflower seed, bone, etc.

SYMPTOMS: Fowl jerks its head suddenly and frequently attempts to swallow. If a close examination is made the foreign body can be felt from the outside.

TREATMENT: For the removal of such obstructions, no special treatment is needed further than to use care and avoid any injury to the beak or throat. Feed nutritious food, as wheat bran mashes and vegetables and see that they have a liberal quantity of good pure water at all times.



BLACKHEAD

(Infectious Entero Hepatitis of Turkeys)

CAUSE: Due to a protozoa taken into the system with the food or drinking water. This parasite enters the caeca which becomes inflamed and discolored and the liver is enlarged and studded with yellowish spots about the size of a pea.

SYMPTOMS: Although this disease is termed Blackhead, the discoloration of the head is not necessarily present in all cases; neither is this condition confined to this particular disease. One of the first symptoms is loss of appetite, followed in most cases by diarrhoea. The fowl becomes weak and loses weight rapidly. Examination of the liver after death will determine whether or not death has been caused by Infectious Entero Hepatitis. The dead birds should be burned to prevent the spread of the disease.

TREATMENT: Prevention is one of the most important factors as this disease is very contagious and the protozoa once implanted in the turkey runs is almost impossible to eradicate. Provide clean, well ventilated coops and feed clean, wholesome food and good fresh water to drink.

MEDICAL TREATMENT: Give Bismuth Salicylate and Quinine Sulphate each one grain two to three times a day. Also mix Hyposulphite of Soda in the proportion of two to four grains to every fowl in their drinking water twice daily. Disinfect coops and runs with Crude Carbolic Acid, undiluted.



BODY LICE

CAUSE: Insanitary conditions. Communicated by direct contact.

SYMPTOMS: Young chicks become emaciated and die quickly. Older birds withstand the parasite much longer, but in time show signs of uneasiness by dusting themselves frequently. The comb and wattles become pale and bloodless, the feathers rough, dry and brittle. The birds grow weak, poor, and eventually die.

TREATMENT: Dust the birds with the following: Sulphur, one part; Napthaline, one part; Tobacco Dust, twenty-eight parts and seventy parts of middlings. Powder finely and mix well together and dust the birds once daily. Also sprinkle freely in the dust baths.



BRONCHITIS

CAUSE: Exposure to dampness, cold drafts of air, inhaling irritating gases, vapors or dust. The fowls should be carefully examined, as bronchitis is occasionally caused by the presence of gapeworms.

SYMPTOMS: Loss of appetite, the bird moves about slowly, breathing with difficulty and making a sort of whistling sound accompanied by a cough. As the disease progresses, there will be a peculiar bubbling sound from breathing due to an excessive accumulation of mucus in the windpipe. At this stage of the disease the bird becomes very weak and if not properly treated and cared for will rapidly lose strength, the feathers will become rough, head and wings droop, and the bird dies.

TREATMENT: This disease is most satisfactorily treated by placing the affected birds in warm, dry, well ventilated quarters, admitting sunlight if possible, but excluding all drafts of air. Feed stale bread, middlings, etc. Also place the fowls in a moderately air tight coop and compel them to inhale steam from hot water and Turpentine. This is readily done by placing the water and Turpentine in a pan and then insert a hot stone or brick in the solution. Force them to inhale this steam from twenty to thirty minutes twice a day. Also add Chlorate of Potash to their drinking water, one teaspoonful to every twenty-five aged fowls. To chicks add one-fourth teaspoonful to every twenty-five. If the weather is favorable and the above treatment is followed, bronchitis yields very favorably.



BUMBLE FOOT

(Corns-Deep Bruises-Abscesses)

CAUSE: Sharp-edged or narrow perches which bruise the feet or where the perches are high, heavy fowls often injure their feet by alighting on stones or other hard objects.

SYMPTOMS: The bird limps or hobbles about, moving with great difficulty. Examination will show the foot to be hot and tender to the touch.

TREATMENT: Wash with clean, warm water and in some cases it is advisable to apply Hot Flaxseed poultices. When soft spots or abscesses develop, lance them with a clean, sharp knife. After abscesses and bruises are opened, treat them antiseptically by washing with a solution of Carbolic Acid, one teaspoonful to a pint of water. The foot should be bandaged to keep out dust and dirt.



PRIZE WINNING BUFF ORPINGTON COCK.



CATARRH

CAUSE: Exposure; poorly constructed coops which admit rain or drafts. Weak birds are very susceptible to Catarrh.

SYMPTOMS: The bird is dull, moves about slowly, coughing or sneezing; appetite is poor, the mucous membrane of the air passage becomes inflamed and the breathing difficult, especially through the nose. The discharge from the nostrils at first watery, becomes mucus-like and thick and sticky, closing the nose, causing the bird to breathe wholly through the mouth with a wheezing sound.

TREATMENT: The cause of Catarrh shows the necessity of clean and comfortable quarters for the fowls. Keep the birds strong and vigorous by feeding clean, nourishing food.

MEDICAL TREATMENT: To each fowl administer in their drinking water or feed: Chlorate of Potash, one grain, twice daily.



CHICKEN POX

(Sore Head—Warts)

CAUSE: These diseases are due to low forms of parasites or fungi and occur most frequently in wet weather especially if the coops are leaky and allow the rain to fall on the droppings, causing mold or fungi. Poor ventilation and lack of light also promotes the growth of fungi.

SYMPTOMS: The disease is usually confined to the head and affects principally young chickens, pigeons and turkeys, but rarely ducks and geese. The infection appears in the form of yellowish warts or nodules about the nose, eyelids, comb, wattles, under the wings, or any unfeathered place. The warts vary in size from that of a pin head to the size of a pea and they discharge a fluid which at first is thin and watery but as the disease progresses, it becomes thick and sticky, yellow in color and fetid in smell. At this stage the appetite is poor, the feathers appear rough, and where the eyelids are affected, as in most cases, the bird cannot see, fails to eat, becomes emaciated, loses weight and strength rapidly and if not properly treated, dies.

TREATMENT: This disease is very contagious, therefore the coops and runs should be disinfected with Crude Carbolic Acid, undiluted. In the drinking water add Hyposulphite of Soda in the proportion of one to two grains to each fowl (one-half grain to chicks). Wash the nodules or warts about the head with Carbolic Acid solution, one teaspoonful to a quart of water. Feed easily digested food, such as vegetables or warm bran mashes.



CONGESTION OF THE LIVER

CAUSE: Lack of exercise, overfeeding, tainted or moldy food, infection, or impure blood.

SYMPTOMS: Birds suffering from this disease seldom show signs of sickness and it is well to dissect the fowl after death to ascertain the exact cause. If death is caused by Congestion of the Liver, the organ will be greatly enlarged and easily torn.

TREATMENT: If the fowls are fat and sluggish, compel them to exercise by driving them about. Also give fifteen to twenty grains of Epsom Salts to each affected fowl. Feed laxative foods that are easily digested, as vegetables and wheat bran mashes. They are cooling and relieve congestion.



CONGESTION OF THE LUNGS

(Pulmonary Congestion)

CAUSE: Exposure; the bird chills, causing contraction of the blood vessels near the surface of the body, thereby forcing a large quantity of blood to the internal organs; the small blood vessels in the lungs become distended with blood and rupture.