XLvn. 



CONTAGIOUS DISEASES OF SWINE. 



SWINE PLAGUE. 



This disease, commonly known as " hog cholera," is a disease 

 peculiar to swine. It is highly contagious and infectious, and 

 extremely fatal, especially among young animals. It seems to 

 prefer in its attack large herds, and is always more fatal where 

 animals are crow^ded together. Some individual animals seem 

 more predisposed than others. The morbid process, although in 

 all cases essentially the same, is not restricted to a single part or 

 organ, or to a set of organs, but has its seat in almost all parts of 

 the body. The i>eriod of incubation after inoculation is about 

 five days. 



Symptoms.- — The first symptom noticed is shivering, lasting 

 from a few minutes to several hours, frequent sneezing, and 

 more or less cough. The temperature is greatly elevated, in 

 some cases reaching 111° F, These symptoms are followed by 

 loss of appetite, a rough appearance of the coat, dropping of the 

 ears, loss of vivacity, attempts to vomit, a tendency to root in the 

 bedding, and to lie down in a dark and quiet corner; watery 

 eyes, swelling of the head, eruptions on the ears and other parb 

 of the body; bleeding from the nose, swelling of the eyelids; diz- 

 ziness, blindness, lahored breathing, constipation, or, in some 

 cases, diarrhoea. There will be rapid emaciation and a gaunt ap- 

 pearance of the flanks; an appetite for dirt, an increased thirst, 

 and a copious discharge from the nose. The peculiar, offensive, 

 and fetid odor of the exhalations and of the excrements may be 

 considered as characteristic of the disease. If the animals are 

 costive the fseces are grayish or brownish black and hard; if 

 diarrhoea is present the fseces are of a grayish-green color, and 



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