ACUTE GASTRITIS 551 



Causes. — Acute gastritis is usually due to some error in manner 

 of feeding or to improper quality of food given. Irregular feeding 

 is an especially common cause for inflammation of stomach in the 

 hog. The pig is naturally a greedy animal, and will bolt his food 

 more rapidly than is for the best interests of the stomach. This 

 habit is made much more pronounced if the animal is fed at irreg- 

 ular intervals. As a result of the irregular time of feeding the 

 hog becomes very hungry, and when food is offered he will attack 

 it greedily and engorge the stomach with a large amount of im- 

 properly masticated food. 



In his haste to fill the stomach as quickly as possible little or 

 no time is taken to properly chew the food, and, as" a result, we 

 have the stomach overloaded with a mass of dry, rough grain, 

 which scratches and irritates the lining membrane and sets up an 

 inflanmiation. 



Another bad effect which follows irregular time of feeding 

 hogs is loss of regular action on the part of the stomach. When 

 the stomach does not receive food at regular times it simply loses 

 the habit of properly digesting food, and the grain or other material 

 taken into the stomach Hes there unacted upon and undergoes 

 souring, with the result that the walls of the stomach become 

 inflamed. 



Next to irregularity in feeding, supplying improper foods 

 heads the list of abuses for gastritis. There is no other animal in 

 the world that is subject to so large an amount of improper feeding 

 as the poor hog. This animal is made the scavenger of the farm, 

 and is required to clean up the waste that the other animals on 

 the place will not touch. Kitchen garbage, decomposed and 

 molded grain, rotten apples, frozen potatoes, and every other 

 form of improper food is given to the hog, and he is expected to 

 clean up this waste and thrive upon it. The pig is fortunately pro- 

 vided with a most powerful stomach, which he has developed as 

 a result of ages of abuse, as without it he would certainly be 

 unable to withstand conditions under which he is forced to live. 



Food which is too hot, such as hot distillers' mash, and food 

 that is too cold, such as frozen potators or apples and ice-cold 

 water, all have a bad effect upon the stomach, and are likely to 

 set up inflammation. Filthy, dirty foods, such as restaurant and 



