SCAB MITE 657 



While a valuable aid in ridding the herd of lice, these rubbing 

 posts cannot take the place of the dipping vat, and should be used 

 as an aid to, and not as a substitute for, the dip method. 



In order to overcome the harmful effects of the restlessness and 

 irritation produced by the parasites it is an excellent idea to add a 

 small amount of a tonic condition powder to the feed for several 

 days. The gentian, nux vomica, iron, and soda combination al- 

 ready mentioned is an excellent appetizer and tonic and will cause 

 a marked improvement in a few days. 



No herd should be allowed to remain lousy. It is considerable 

 effort to rid the animals of hce once they get a good start, but the 

 work will be many times repaid by the benefit it does. Animals 

 cannot gain properly in weight while constantly irritated by a large 

 horde of lice over their bodies. Especially is this the case with young 

 pigs, and many of these Uttle fellows are permanently stunted as a 

 result of long-continued torment from these blood-sucking para- 

 sites. The fact that these lice are also probably capable of trans- 

 mitting hog-cholera from one animal to another is also worthy of 

 consideration and a powerful argument in favor of getting rid of 

 them. 



SCAB MITE 



Scab or scabies is not a very frequent disease in the hog in the 

 United States. It is produced by the itch mite of the hog, known 

 under the official name of Sarcoptes scabiei suis. This, literally 

 translated, means the sarcoptic scab mite of the hog. The mite 

 is very small, and is provided with a head, body, and four pairs of 

 legs. The parasite burrows under the skin and produces a large 

 amount of scales, which pile up on each other and give a very char- 

 acteristic appearance. The symptoms and treatment of this con- 

 dition will be found in the section on Diseases of the Skin. 



Sarcoptic mange is the only form of the disease which is seen in 

 hogs. In the sheep and the horse there are also found a psoroptic 

 and a symbiotic mange. Neither of these types are found in the 

 hog, and the sarcoptic mange is relatively uncommon in the United 

 States, although quite frequently met with in Europe. 



It is worthy of note that this itch mite of the hog frequently 

 attacks man, and butchers, farmers, packing-house employees, and 

 others that come in contact with hogs frequently develop a severe 



