442 DISEASES OF SWINE 



The manner of handling this herd hardly agrees with the method 

 in which similar cases would be handled at the present time. In 

 the first place, it would seem to have been unnecessary to inject 

 virus blood into the 2 shoats that were already sick with the disease. 

 These animals would have perhaps been better handled with the 

 injection of a double dose of the serum and no virus blood. If tem- 

 peratures had been taken in this herd it would probably have been 

 found that several of the other hogs injected by the double method 

 were running a high fever, and as such should receive a large dose 

 of serum and no virus blood. 



However, the results in the herd were very favorable, and speak 

 strongly for the value of the serum method of treatment. Of the 

 30 shoats and 2 sows that were given the double method of treat- 

 ment, every one, except the 2 shoats that were sick at the time of 

 injection, remained well and passed through the outbreak without 

 showing any symptoms of the disease. This goes to show that even 

 in the presence of infection in a herd the double method of treat- 

 ment can be used with safety when the serum used is of the proper 

 quality. 



The 2 shoats that were sick at the time of the injection, as well 

 as the 5 shoats that were left untreated, all died from the disease. 

 The death of the 2 shoats goes to show that when the disease is 

 well established in an animal, serum, if it is to be of any benefit, 

 must be used in large doses. It is quite possible that these 2 shoats 

 would have died even if they had received the larger dose of serum, 

 but I am firmly convinced that even with diseased hogs, if seen 

 early, a large percentage of them can be saved when the serum 

 alone is given in about double the usual dose. 



The death of the 5 untreated animals leaves no question as to 

 the severe type of the disease which was present in this case. These 

 5 shoats became infected by contact with the virus of the disease 

 which was scattered about the feed lots with the bowel discharges 

 and urine of the 2 shoats that were already sick at the time that 

 the treatment was given. 



On the whole, this experiment was a very successful one, and 

 gives a very good idea of what can be accomplished in even a dis- 

 eased herd if the treatment is given as soon as the first animals are 

 noted to be sick. 



