ANIMAL PARASITES 261 



disease are manifested. We must not take from tlie above state- 

 ment that it is unnecessary to resort to treatment unless in ex- 

 ceptional cases. Intestinal worms interfere with the growth of 

 young hogs, and may irritate and inliame the intestine, causing 

 chronic indigestion, nervous symptoms, and often death. This 

 irritated and inflamed condition of the intestine is best noted 

 in the abattoir by the ease with which the wall of the intestine 

 that contains large numbers of worms tears when handling it. 

 The treatment of intestinal worms in hogs is both preventive 

 and medicinal. If the conditions in the pens and houses are 

 such as to enable the eggs and embryos to live for a long time, 

 or the surroundings are favorable for infection of the animals 

 through their feed and water supply, the herd may become badly 

 infested with intestinal parasites. The preventive treatment 

 consists in keeping hogs in clean, well-drained yards or- pastures, 

 and feeding them from clean troughs and concrete feeding floors 

 that can be washed, when necessary, in order to keep them clean. 

 The following vermifuge can be recommended : Santonin three 

 to five grains, calomel five to eight grains. This is sufiicient for 

 one hundred pounds weight. If the pigs are small and it requires 

 two or three to weigh one hundred pounds, the large dose should 

 be given. If the hogs weigh one hundred pounds or more, they 

 should receive the small dose. The drove should be divided into 

 lots of ten or fifteen hogs each. The drugs should be mixed 

 and divided into the same number of powders as there are lots 

 of hogs. Ground feed is placed in the trough, dampened with 

 milk or water, and the powder sprinkled evenly over it. The 

 hogs are then allowed to eat the feed. It is best to dose them 

 in the morning after they have been off feed for ten or twelve 

 hours. This vermifuge may be given in gelatin capsules. A 

 small balling gun may be used, or the pigs' mouths opened and 

 the capsule dropped well back. The dose is two to three grains 

 each of santonin and calomel. 



