HANDLING HOG CHOLERA IN THE FIELD 169 



at once be freed of hog cholera virus, at least by 

 methods within reach of the man of average 

 means. Under such circumstances, if hog raising 

 is to be continued, the herd should be maintained 

 immune to hog cholera. 



We have already said that handling a herd of 

 infected shoats is the veterinarian's simplest duty 

 in dealing with hog cholera. We will now con- 

 sider some of the more complex problems that field 

 work constantly place before us. Let us suppose 

 that in addition to the herd of infected shoats 

 there is on the same farm, some distance away, a 

 number of feeding hogs that have shown no signs 

 of disease. If the animals are to be marketed 

 in less than four weeks they may receive serum 

 alone, and if hog cholera does not appear among 

 them in the course of six or seven days, it is allow- 

 able to kill them under inspection; if marketing 

 must be delayed more than four weeks, simultane- 

 ous treatment is indicated. As far as the effect 

 of treatment itself is concerned, hogs may, if 

 emergency demands it, be killed for food as early 

 as one day following administration of serum 

 alone, but if serum and virus are given, a delay of 

 at least three weeks is desirable. 



In addition to feeders we encounter on practic- 

 ally every farm a considerable number of breeding 

 stock. A boar, pregnant sows, some just farrow- 

 ing, and others nursing litters make up the repre- 



