348 THE VETERINARY SCIENCE. 



out on the skin soon causes it to slousifh, and the skin will drop off 



in places, giving the animal a bad appearance — and will soon die. 



Although this is a very fatal disease and most of the pigs die that 



are affec*^ed with it, occasionally we have a case get better when 



the treatment is taken in time. 



Treatment. — As soon as any of the pigs are noticed sick, 



separate the sick ones from the others that are not sick, and put 



them in a dry, clean pen, and give the following medicine to each 



pig, using your own judgment as to the proportion to give the 



different sized pigs : 



Epsom Salts 2 to 4 tablespoonfuls. 



Sweet Spirits of Nitre 1 teaspoonful to 1 tablespoonful. 



Sulphur 1 " 1 



Mix in half a teacupful of hike warm water and pour down as 



a drench after turning the pig on its back. If this drench 



operates on the bowels before the disease gets too bad, it will 



often save the life of the pig. If this disease breaks out in your 



herd of pigs, send for the government veterinary inspector ; he 



will come and examine the pigs to make sure about the disease 



and help you to prevent the disease from spreading. 



DIFFICULTIES MET WITH IN SOWS PIGGING. 



The average time it takes a sow, after being put to the boar, 

 before she has pigs is three months, three weeks and three days. 

 In a month and a-half after being out to the boar, she begins to 

 get larger and continues getting larger until pigging time. Just 

 before she pigs she is noticed to be uneasy, and starts to make her 

 bed : if anything disturbs her she makes a fuss and seems excited. 

 After her bed is made she seems sick and lies down for a short 

 time, then the labor pains come on — she will strain and the water 

 bag will appear and break, if the pigs are coming all right, she will 

 soon be delivered of one ; the front feet and head should come first 

 but sometimes they come with the hind feet first ; in a few minutes 

 more she will strain again and another pig will be delivered, and 

 so on until they are all delivered. After this there is usually no 

 trouble unless the sow has too much bedding and she smothers 

 the little pigs. Sometimes, when a sow is pigging, a pig will 

 come crociked and get lodged in the passage and she cannot pig 

 without a* Tittle assistance. The pig may be coming head first 

 with the front feet turned back, or coming with its hind end first 

 and its legs turned in under it, and all you can feel while examin- 



