HANDLING HOG CHOLEEA IN THE FIELD 167 



mended, special care being taken to build up the 

 resistance of the animals during the interval be- 

 tween serum alone and serum-virus administra- 

 tion. 



If, as is sometimes the case, we are compelled to 

 make a provisional diagnosis of "hog cholera, we 

 should give serum alone and observe the future 

 development of the disease. Provided it proves to 

 be hog cholera, or if it disappears entirely so that 

 doubt still remains, we may give simultaneous 

 treatment three or four weeks later; if it proves 

 to be some other malady, and if hog cholera is not 

 in the vicinity, simultaneous treatment should not 

 follow unless the owner wishes to maintain an im- 

 mune herd. Usually, when there is hog cholera 

 together with some active complication, the im- 

 munity of the herd should be maintained on serum 

 alone until the animals are in fit condition to re- 

 ceive serum-virus treatment. This may require 

 two or more doses of serum at three or four week 

 intervals, but if the complication is of such nature 

 that it cannot be controlled after serum alone is 

 administered, we will only aggravate it if we give 

 simultaneous treatment. 



Methods of preventing spread of hog cholera to 

 neighboring herds are also somewhat different 

 when we find the infected animals closely confined. 

 We gain very little by cleaning and disinfecting 

 quarters occupied by hogs sick with cholera, be- 



