280 Journal of Agriculture, Yictoria. \ 10 May, 191!>. 



a continued use of more substantial fare. .Intestinal worms, the excessive 

 consumption of putrid animal or vegetable matter, the indiscriminate 

 administration of salt, either as brine or otherwise, are frequent causes. 

 It also occurs in tuberculosis, rickets, and other constitutional affections. 

 In the first-named disease, it invariably assumes a chronic form. In 

 sucking pigs, it is usuall,y due to vitiated condition of the milk of the 

 dam, or insanitary state of the stye, and not infrequently to decomposing 

 matter fouling the teats of the sow. 



In case of suckers, the stye, &c., should be clean, bedding dry and 

 clean, and they should be protected from cold and wet. The food of the 

 dam should be sound and wholesome. The teeth of the little ones 

 should be attended to, and any that are too sharp and likely to irritate 

 the sow should be cut oft". Young nervovis sows sometimes become so 

 irritated that the milk becomes changed, and acts prejudicially to the 

 young. 



In mild cases there -is only temporary derangement, which quickly 

 passes without giving rise to pain or other signs of illness. In some 

 cases, however, the discharge continues for days, and there is more or 

 less wasting and loss of appetite, with coldness of the skin and extremi- 

 ties, and general dullness and depression. When diarrhcca is accompanied 

 by pain, the pig is restless, its back is arched, its belly tucked up, aiid 

 the excrement has a strong offensive odour. In young suckers the dis- 

 charges are sour-smelling and are mixed with mucus, containing solid 

 masses of curd, and may be streaked with blood. 



There is no hard and fast rule for dealing with this complaint. It 

 is a case of removing the cause, if possible, to effect a cure. The first 

 thing is to give a dose of castor oil, 1 oz. (two tablespoonfuls) to 6 oz., 

 according to size of pig, and then to see that the animal receives good 

 wholesome food. If the pig will not take the medicine in the 

 food, it must be given as a drench. When there are indications of pain, 

 a few drops of laudanum may be given — for suckers, two or three drops 

 on the tongue. After the diarrhcea has been checked, one-drop doses of 

 nux vomica daily may be given for several days as a tonic. 

 A very good tonic to keep in stock consists of : — 



Powdered gentian . . . . . . 1 oz. 



Powdered nux vomica . . . . . . ^1 oz. 



Sulphate of iron . . . . . . 1 oz. 



Bicarbonate of soda . . . . . . 6 oz. 



Sulphate of soda . . . . . . . . 6 oz. 



Mix and give one teaspoonful to each animal once or twice daily. 



Rickets. 



This is a disease in which there is a marked disturbance of nutrition, 

 and the animal is unable to properly develop bone tissue. The bones 

 are soft, and there are swellings and deformities. 



The disease is almost entirely due to food deficient in bone-forming 

 material, principally phosphate of lime. If the dam is properly fed, 

 her milk will be rich in all necessary salts, but trouble may develop after 

 the pigs are weaned. This will be especially so when they are fed largely 

 on maize, as this grain contains only a small percentage of mineral; 

 therefore other grain, rich in mineral matter, should be given to young 

 pigs. There is nothing better than pollard; oatmeal is also very good. 



