164 DISEASES OF SWINE 



should be always on the lookout to profit from the experience of 

 others, as well as to be ready to allow others to profit by his 

 experience. 



This man found, just as hundreds of others have found, that 

 whenever hogs are allowed to feed upon the dead bodies of animals 

 which die upon the farm, it will only be a matter of time until 

 there will be an outbreak of cholera among these hogs. Meat of 

 hogs which have died of hog-cholera is simply full of the virus which 

 produces the disease, and it is at this time in its most virulent 

 form, capable of producing the disease very rapidly in any animal 

 which may eat of it. If healthy hogs are allowed to eat these dead 

 bodies of cholera hogs they will get sick just as surely as if the germs 

 had been injected into their muscles with a syringe and needle, as 

 is done at the government serum plant. 



Another interesting point about this outbreak is the ease with 

 which the boar was attacked by the disease. Under ordinary 

 circumstances an old boar has quite a bit of resistance to the germs 

 of cholera, and very often will remain well while every other 

 hog on the place may get sick and die from the disease. This 

 boar had been weakened by a long-neglected inflammation of the 

 bowels, and was in no condition to put up any fight against the 

 cholera virus when it was taken into his body. As a result, he was 

 an easy victim. Give close attention to your hogs, and do not let 

 any diseases of their stomach or bowels be neglected. To do so is 

 to open the door for the entrance of cholera into the herd, and 

 cholera is always on the lookout for the open door. It will not 

 have to be left open very long until you will begin to see hogs sick 

 with the dread disease. 



Never keep an unthrifty or sick hog on the premises. If the 

 disease from which the animal may be suffering does not respond 

 to ordinary treatment, the best thing that you can do is to either 

 sell the animal for immediate slaughter or else knock him on the 

 head. An unhealthy hog is always a source of danger. Cholera 

 is hkely to finish up such a hog at any time, and before he has died 

 he has been the means of scattering infectious, disease-producing 

 virus among the entire herd. It is far cheaper to kill this one 

 animal, or sell him at a loss, than to run the chances of having 

 an entire herd wiped out by hog-cholera. 



