226 DISEASES OF SWINE 



was hauled out the next morning and dragged into the feed lot, to 

 be eaten by the other animals of the herd. 



Within two weeks after the death of this animal there was the 

 development of a severe outbreak of typical hog-cholera in the 

 animals in the cattle feed lots. These animals had previously been 

 in good health, and postmortem examination showed dark red 

 spots in the kidneys and lungs, a widespread severe inflammation 

 of the bowels with several ulcers, enlarged and softened spleen, and 

 other evidences of typical cholera. 



This outbreak illustrates two great dangers in the spread of 

 cholera. One is the danger of feeding kitchen refuse to swine. 

 The first hog was most hkely infected from pork rinds of 

 some kind which had carried the infection from an outbreak of 

 the previous year. There is always great danger in feeding pork 

 trimmings of any kind to healthy hogs. There are innumerable 

 cases on record of outbreaks of cholera which have been traced 

 almost directly to this source as the cause of the infection. 



The second lesson to be learned from this outbreak is the ab- 

 solute danger that follows feeding of dead hog carcasses to healthy 

 animals. Never allow your hogs to feed upon the dead carcass of 

 another hog, whether you think it died of hog-cholera or not. 

 There is always the possibiUty that the animal did die from cholera, 

 and, if not, it may at least be carrying in its body sufficient of the 

 hog-cholera virus to cause an outbreak of the disease in other 

 animals. 



Danger from feeding of dead animal carcasses to hogs is not 

 confined to the simple feeding of swine with dead bodies of other 

 animals of their own species. There is another even more common 

 practice prevalent throughout the hog-raising belt which is almost 

 equally as dangerous. This is the practice of allowing hogs to 

 devour the carcasses of other animals which may die on the farm. 

 How many of us have seen the carcass of a dead horse, steer, or 

 sheep left in the feed lots to be eaten by the ever-hungry hog? 

 It is such a common practice in the farming communities of the 

 Central States as to be regarded as the rule rather than the excep- 

 tion to find animals disposed of in this manner. 



As has already been stated, hog-cholera is a disease which is 

 limited in its occurrence to swine. Hogs are the only animals, so 



