564 DISEASES OF SWINE 



the abdomen drawn up. The hair becomes rough and unhealthy 

 in appearance and the Uttle sufferer may give frequent evidence 

 of pain by squeahng and grunting. 



This condition of affairs gradually becomes worse, and unless 

 something is done to give relief the animal will die in the course 

 of a few days. The outcome is especially bad where the disease 

 starts in the first few days of life. The younger the animal, the 

 less chance there is for recovery. 



Treatment. — As in many of the diseases which have already 

 been described, the prevention of scours is of more importance than 

 its medical treatment after it has fully developed. The pregnant 

 sow should be kept in clean, hygienic quarters, and given nothing 

 but clean, wholesome food. No sour swill, distillers' mash, or 

 moldy grain should be allowed. The quarters in which she is 

 placed for farrowing should be clean, dry, roomy, and so arranged 

 as to allow of the entrance of sunshine. There is no other 

 single agent that is as beneficial for young pigs as plenty of 

 sunshine. 



If the mother appears feverish after farrowing it is well to give 

 her a light physic of castor oil and feed very carefully for the next 

 twenty-four hours. 



In the active treatment of the pigs it is best to give them a small 

 dose of calomel to start with, say 1 to 2 gr., and follow this with 

 J ounce of castor oil. This, with proper attention to the diet of 

 the mother, will often be all that is necessary. In some of the 

 more severe cases it will be indicated to give something to check the 

 diarrheal discharge. In these cases J-dram doses of subnitrate of 

 bismuth and sodium sulphocarbolate may be given, or small 

 doses of laudanum. The laudanum may be given by dropping 2 

 or 3 drops on the tongue of the sick pigs, or |-teaspoonful 

 doses of paregoric may be given. The administration of opium 

 as a means of treating diarrhea in man or animal is bad practice, 

 and often finally results in the loss of an animal that might other- 

 wise have been saved. It is far better to give something that will 

 clean out the bowel, sweep out the irritating substances therein 

 contained, and then follow this with some intestinal astringent 

 and antiseptic, such as bismuth and the sulphocarbolates. The use 

 of opium should only be resorted to in those cases where it becomes 



