424 HORSE, SWINE AND POULTRY DISEASES 



cathartic can be resisted by an enema. Sloppy food should be fed. 

 (Ind. B. 100.) 



PERITONITIS. 



Causes. Hogs are not as subject to peritonitis as most other 

 domestic animals. It results from the extension of the inflamma- 

 tion from the intestines or other internal organs. Injuries to the 

 walls of the abdomen, exposure to cold, and such operations as 

 spaying and castrating may cause it. 



Symptoms. These resemble those seen in inflammation of 

 the bowels. The history of the case may help us in the diagnosis. 

 The hog is feverish and dull, the back is arched, abdominal walls 

 rigid and the breathing short and quickened. There are indica- 

 tions of abdominal pain. 



Treatment. The treatment is mainly preventive. Such oper- 

 ations as castration, spaying, etc., should be performed under anti- 

 septic precautions. Wounds involving the abdomen are serious and 

 should be carefully treated. Medicinal treatment is of little use. 

 (Ind. B. 100.) 



YELLOWS, JAUNDICE. 



This is not a disease in itself but rather a symptom of disease, 

 and is frequently associated with the following diseases : gall stones, 

 parasitic diseases of the liver, inflammation of the intestines and 

 bile duct, and congestion and inflammation of the liver. It is diffi- 

 cult to diagnose liver diseases in the hog, and quite impossible to 

 differentiate one from another. For this reason it is best to discuss 

 all liver diseases under the one head, jaundice. 



Causes. Gall stones are occasionally found in the hog and 

 resemble fine sand in appearance. They may, however, occur as 

 small calculi. The causes of gall stones are concentration of the 

 bile, its becoming infected by bacteria, lack of exercise and over 

 feeding. Liver flukes and round worms may obstruct the bile duct 

 as they pass up from the intestines. The former parasite is rare in 

 this country and is seldom the cause of liver diseases in hogs. The 

 round worms are sometimes found in the gall duct. Inflammation 

 of the bile duct may occur as a complication of indigestion or a 

 catarrhal inflammation of the intestines. The main causes, how- 

 ever, are overfeeding, lack of exercise and decomposed food. In- 

 flammation of the liver is frequently met with in infectious dis- 

 eases. It may occur as a complication of indigestion. Certain 

 micro-organisms entering the digestive tract with the food and 

 finding their way to the liver may cause it to become inflamed. 



Symptoms. Any condition raising the pressure in the bile 

 ducts or lowering the pressure in the blood vessels of the liver will 

 cause the bile to be taken up by the circulation and carried to the 

 different tissues of the body, staining them a yellow color. This is 

 quite noticeable in the areolar tissue beneath the skin and in the 

 fat, a condition sometimes met with in apparently healthy hogs 

 killed in the abattoir. A staining of the visible mucous membranes 

 and the skin cannot well be observed in the hog. Sometimes the 

 coloring matter of the bile is present in the urine and the normal 



