JOINT AND NAVEL ILL 521 



they produce severe infection, together with profound symptoms 

 of toxic products in the blood. The disease is a very common 

 one in calves and colts, but is comparatively uncommon in pigs. 

 Necessarily it occurs in the first few days of life before the navel 

 has dried up and fallen off. In some cases the infection becomes 

 a general one, and the germs cause abscess formation in other 

 parts of the body as well as in the joints. 



Causes. — Filthy conditions in the pens where the sows are 

 allowed to farrow is the most common cause of this condition. 

 The fresh navel cord very easily becomes infected if allowed to 

 drag in mud, manure, and other filth. The germs entering here 

 are very quickly carried through the body, and set up abscesses 

 in the joints and other spots where they lodge. In some seasons 

 the disease appears to be particularly common, and appears in 

 these seasons to be due to some special germ which may attack 

 large numbers of pigs on a farm and may even spread to sur- 

 rounding farms. 



Symptoms. — The first symptom noted by the owner usually 

 is the fact that the pig becomes lame. At the same time, there 

 may be loss of desire to suckle the mother, the pig becomes fever- 

 ish, is often constipated, and loses its natural activeness and play- 

 ful characteristics. If an examination of the navel be made at 

 this time it will be found to be red, inflamed, and tender. In 

 the majority of cases there will be an abscess formed at the navel. 

 This may rupture internally and set up a fatal peritonitis, or, 

 more commonly, it breaks on the outside and discharges pus. 



When the joints are examined they are found to be hot, tender, 

 and swollen. If the condition is allowed to run its course untreated, 

 these joint swellings may develop into abscesses, and these may 

 break externally and discharge pus. In such cases the pig loses 

 weight, loses all appetite, and becomes very much stunted, weak, 

 and finally dies from exhaustion, and the effects of the toxic sub- 

 stances absorbed from the multiple abscesses are scattered through- 

 out t^e body. 



Treatment. — As in the case of blood-poisoning, this is a disease 

 which is largely due to neglect, and one which can much easier 

 be prevented than cured. Clean, dry, well-lighted, and sunshiny 

 breeding pens will do more toward keeping this disease out of 



