100 FORTY YEARS' EXPERIENCE OF A PRACTICAL HOG MAN 



If the pigs are living allow them to nurse, yet this is bad for the 

 pigs, as that usually starts the ailment in new born pigs known as 

 white scours. Bathe the udder carefully with hot water, then use 

 a half ounce of acetate of lead, with two ounces of tincture of arni- 

 ca in one quart of warm water. This bathing should be done three 

 times a day and the lotion applied after each bath. Give the sow 

 two ounces of Epsom salts, followed with ten grains of nitrate of 

 potassium, in a little water three times a day. If the udder be- 

 comes very hard or caked, rub with one dram of Iodine and one 

 ounce of vaseline. Apply this about twice a week until the udder 

 becomes soft and pliable. 



Sore Teats. Once in a while, while nursing, the teats will 

 become inflamed and swollen and, of course, are very sore. The 

 sow will be inclined to refuse to let the pigs touch her. This only 

 makes matters worse, on account of the accumulation of milk in the 

 udder, and the result is a fever as above mentioned. 



Cause. This trouble is generally caused by the udder and teats 

 dragging through the dirt or mud which irritates the skin, making 

 it crack and become sore. It is also caused by the sow having trav- 

 eled through poisonous weeds in the pasture, while wet with dew 

 or rain. 



Treatment. Bathe three times a day with half an ounce acetate 

 of lead in a quart of warm water. Then bathe with two ounces 

 glycerine and tannic acid twenty grains in four ounces of water 

 well shaken. 



Skin Diseases. About the only skin disease that one is liable 

 to have occasion to treat, is mange. This is caused by a parasite 

 that burrows under the scurf skin and causes great irritation, prac- 

 tically destroying that part of the skin, so that a little scab forms. 

 This, on account of great itching, causes the animal to rub and this 

 disease soon becomes general throughout the herd. The scabs 

 formed are rubbed and soon become a raw sore. The first appear- 

 ance will be found on the thin parts of the skin ; back of the ears ; 

 inside the thighs or upon the back. The parasite may be readily 

 seen with a pocket magnifying glass. 



When first discovered remove all unaffected pigs to buildings 

 or grounds where affected pigs have not been. 



Treatment. First wash the pig all over with soap-suds, and 

 then rub in dry sulphur. The sulphur coming in contact with the 

 sores forms a compound that is poisonous to the parasite. Another 

 sure remedy is to steep two ounces of stavesacre seeds in one and 

 one-half quarts of water. Keep water nearly boiling for an hour, 

 then add enough water to make up the quantity originally placed 

 in the vessel. This solution, rubbed well into the skin, will kill 

 both the parasite and its eggs. This may be repeated if necessary. 

 Animals that are occasionally dipped with any of the coal tar 

 preparations will never have mange. Prevention is better than 

 cure. This is one reason why pigs should be either dipped or 

 thoroughly wet with some of the foregoing dips as a preventive 

 to any skin trouble. 



