INFLAMMATION OF MAMMARY GLAND 691 



stump to the vagina. These cases are rare in the sow, but when 

 met with offer a very serious problem, and should be handled only 

 by a skilled veterinarian. 



INFLAMMATION OF MAMMARY GLAND (MAMMITIS, GARGET) 



Inflammation of the udder, or mammary gland, is a very com- 

 mon affair in the sow. This is especially due to the fact that in 

 heavy sows that are good milk producers the engorged udder or 

 mammary gland drags close to the ground and is frequently bruised 

 and wounded by stones, sticks, frozen ground, and other objects. 

 This close contact with a dirty feed lot also makes it possible for 

 large numbers of germs to enter the teats and work their way up 

 the milk ducts to produce a severe inflammation of the gland 

 itself. 



Pigs that are rooting around in the filth and dirt of unclean 

 feeding floors, swill troughs, and manure piles carry infection to the 

 teats, and from there the germs soon reach the deep portions of the 

 gland. One very interesting case has been referred to in the section 

 on Hog-cholera Serum in which a litter of young pigs, rooting in 

 a pile of pus and corruption emptied from an abscess cavity, carried 

 the germs to the mammary glands and produced multiple abscesses 

 in the udder. 



Sows that lose a part or all of their litter and who have a large 

 supply of milk are especially hkely to develop a diffuse inflamma- 

 tion of the mammary glands. 



Inflammation of the udder may be only simple in nature, with 

 hot, painful swelling, but without the formation of any pus or 

 abscesses. On the other hand, the condition may be a deep-seated 

 pus infection with multiple abscesses and even ulcers. 



Symptoms. — The inflamed udders become swollen, hot, pain- 

 ful, and very tender to the touch. The tenderness may become so 

 marked that the sow will not allow the pigs to suck on account of 

 the suffering produced. There is also usually a considerable rise in 

 temperature, loss of appetite, and constipation. The milk is often 

 changed in character, and may produce symptoms of scouring in 

 the litter. 



Treatment. — Preventive treatment consists in keeping sows 

 and litters in clean feed lots, and in this manner lessen the chances 



