50 DISEASES OP THE HOG. 



Causes: Eating decayed vegetable niatter or 

 vegetables not easily digested, putrid animal sub- 

 stances and constipation; lying in cold, dami) 

 places at night is a very common cause; it is also 

 caused by a congested state of the portal circula- 

 tion and a sluggish condition of the liver, often 

 seen in fat pigs, drastic purges, worms, and a se- 

 quel of adynamic diseases. A number of pigs on 

 the same farm may be attacked at the same time 

 without any apparent cause. In such cases it 

 must be of a miasmatic nature and often takes on 

 a typhoid form. 



Symptoms of acute dysentery : This is not a com- 

 mon disease of the pig, although I have seen sev- 

 eral outbreaks supposed to have been caused by 

 bad water. It is usually preceded or followed by 

 general uneasiness, dullness, impaired appetite, 

 with stiffness in moving; there is more or less pain, 

 as the animal whines; there may be constipation 

 or diarrhea, the passages are usually lumpy at 

 first, and very frequent; after the first few evacua- 

 tions what is passed is of a whitish mucus or 

 mucus mixed with blood. As the disease ad- 

 vances there will be shreds of the mucous mem- 

 brane passed or small masses of coagulated mat- 

 ter. There is usually a good deal of flatus passed 

 and relief follows for a time. At first the dis- 

 charges have little smell, but after a time they 

 become very offensive. There is always fever, ex- 

 cept in very mild cases. Generally the disease 

 takes a turn between the sixth and tenth day and 



