236 



SWINE— DISEASES AND REMEDIES. 



so as to suffer the accumulation of flesh 

 and fat under it. 



Except it is hereditary, it may, although 

 with some trouble, be perfectly eradicated. 

 The first thing to be done is to clean the 

 hog well ; without this all external appli- 

 cation and internal medicines will be 

 thrown away. The animal must be 

 scrubbed all over with a good strong soap 

 lather, and when he is well dried with 

 wisps of straw he will be ready for the 

 ointment, and no better one can be used 

 than the Mild Ointment for Scab in 

 Sheep. (See No. 85, Domestic Ani- 

 mals, Medicines for.) A little of this 

 should be well rubbed all over him every 

 second or third day; but at the same time 

 internal medicine, such as the Alterative 

 Powder, (See No. 89,. Domestic Ani- 

 mals, Medicines for,) should not be 

 omitted. There is no animal in which it 

 is more necessary to attack this and simi- 

 ilar diseases constitutionally. 



This, like the scab in sheep, is a very 

 infectious disease, and care should be 

 taken to scour the sty well with soap, and 

 afterwards to wash it with a solution of 

 chloride of lime, as recommended else- 

 where. The rubbing-post, that useful but 

 too often neglected article of furniture in 

 ■every sty, should particularly be attended 

 to. 



SWINE, FEET, Soreness of the.— This 

 often occurs to pigs that have traveled 

 any distance ; the feet often becomes ten- 

 der and sore. In such cases, they should 

 be examined, and all extraneous matter 

 removed from the foot. Then wash with 

 weak lye. If the feet discharge fetid mat- 

 ter, wash with the following mixture: 

 Pyroligneous acid, two ounces; water, 

 four ounces. 



In the treatment of diseased swine, the 

 "issues," as they are called, ought to be 

 examined, and be kept free. They may 

 be found on the inside of the legs, just 

 above the pastern joint. They seem to 

 serve as a drain or outlet for the morbid 

 fluids of the body, and whenever they 

 are obstructed, local or general disturb- 

 ance is sure to supervene. 



SWINE, Pigging.— The sow usually 

 goes with pig four months, but there is 

 more irregularity in her time than in that 

 of any other of our domesticated quad- 

 rupeds. A week or ten days before her 

 pigging she should be separated from the 



rest, otherwise the young ones would 

 probably be devoured as soon as they 

 are dropped ; and if she shows any dis- 

 position to destroy them, or if she has 

 ever done so, she should be carefully 

 watched, a muzzle should be put upon 

 her, and her little ones should be smeared 

 with train oil and aloes as soon as possible. 



The teats of the sow will sometimes 

 swell, and hard knots may be felt in 

 them, as in the garget of cattle. The 

 treatment should be nearly the same 

 except that bleeding is scarcely requisite. 

 A dose of physic, however, is indispensa- 

 ble. The Garget Ointment for Cattle 

 (See No. 24, Domestic Animals, Medi- 

 cines for,) may be rubbed with advant- 

 age into the teats, which should be care- 

 fully wiped or washed before the young 

 ones are permitted to suck again ; indeed 

 they will not suck while any unusual 

 smell remains about the teats. The milk 

 should also be gently, but well pressed out 

 of the diseased teats. 



When it is wished to spay a breeding 

 sow, in order that she may be put up for 

 fattening, it may be done while she is 

 suckling. The young pigs may be cut at 

 three or four weeks old; they should 

 never be suffered to suck longer than two 

 months ; and they may be rung as soon 

 as convenient after weaning. No hog 

 should escape ringing, even if he is 

 destined to live in the sty. It is the only 

 way to keep him quiet, and will con- 

 tribute materially to his thriving. 



SWINE, Quinsy.— This disease in the 

 hog is compounded of sore throat and 

 enlargement of the glands of the throat, 

 and is something like strangles in the 

 horse — inflammation and enlargement of 

 the cellular substance between the skin 

 and muscles under the lower jaw. The 

 progress of the malady is rapid, and 

 the swelling is sometimes so great as to 

 prevent the breathing, and consequently 

 to suffocate the animal. To a skin so 

 thick as that of the hog it is useless to 

 make any external application. The pa- 

 tient should be bled ; two ounces of salts 

 should be given, and half-ounce doses 

 repeated every six hours, until the bowels 

 are well opened ; while warm weak wash, 

 or milk and water, should be occasionally 

 poured into the trough. It is not often a 

 dangerous disease if remedies are early 

 adopted. 



