380 DISEASES OF SWINE 



There is another method of handUng old hogs for the purpose of 

 injecting serum that offers about the best results, especially in boars 

 and pregnant sows. This is to snub the animal up to a post or tree 

 by means of a rope with a loop in the end of it. This loop is thrown 

 gently over the nose and slipped into the mouth, so as to get the 

 loop around the upper jaw and back of the tushes. It is then 

 drawn up quickly, and one or two wraps taken around the nearest 

 post, tree, or other firm support. The hog will almost invariably 

 pull back and keep the rope taut. In this manner the hog can be 

 held for injection of serum back of the ears. The position is excel- 

 lent for this purpose, and this manner of restraint avoids any pos- 

 sible difficulty in handling old boars, and also very much lessens 

 the danger of producing abortions in piggy sows. 



One objection is made to this injection back of the ear, and that 

 is the possiblity of getting an occasional diffuse spreading inflam- 

 mation of the neck, which, by causing a severe swelling of the 

 tissues of the neck, might choke the animal to death. Some few 

 cases of this kind have been reported, but they are only a very small 

 percentage of the total number so treated. 



Abortion Following Use of Serum. — The question may often be 

 asked what is the danger of producing abortion in piggy sows by 

 the use of serum? In my opinion, with careful handling, there is 

 practically no danger at all. Abortions following the use of serum 

 in pregnant sows are due in almost every case to improper and 

 rough handling during the time of treatment. By snubbing the 

 sows up with a rope in the mouth, and giving the injections in the 

 loose tissues back of the ear, there is very Uttle or no danger of 

 causing abortions. Dr. Fitzgerald, of Ohio, reports on a large 

 number of cases where piggy sows were serum-treated without any 

 higher percentage of abortions than might be expected under nor- 

 mal conditions. This holds true with almost equal certainty in 

 either single or simultaneous methods of treatment. 



In a few cases, where the animal is already suffering from a high 

 temperature at the time of injection, abortion is very likely to fol- 

 low, as the hog is at that time suffering from hog-cholera, and 

 will slip the pigs as a result of the high temperature associated with 

 the disease, even though it be aborted by the use of hog-cholera 



