124 DISEASES OF THE HOG. 



pig I shall describe only one. I have met, in sev- 

 eral cases in the pig while examining for other dis- 

 eases, undoubted signs that the animal had had an 

 attack of pericarditis at some former time, and 

 there is no doubt but that at times when a pig 

 shows signs of being a little off it may sometimes 

 be this disease. It is often associated with such 

 diseases as rheumatism and pleurisy. 



Causes of Pericarditis: The most common causes 

 are exposure to cold, direct violence, muscular ex- 

 ertion, such as running when a pig is fat and heavy, 

 rheumatism, pleurisy and pneumonia and an im- 

 I)ure condition of the blood, also hog cholera. 



Symptoms: The attack is usually ushered in 

 witji a chill, which is often repeated (that is, in se- 

 vere cases), and always followed by fever. The 

 pulse is the most important symptom. In the earl}^ 

 stages of the disease it is usually full and some- 

 what irregular and as the disease advances it is ex- 

 ceedingly so, and on this account it can be distin- 

 guished from other inflammatory diseases. The 

 different conditions of the pulse at different stages 

 of the disease may be considered as indicative of 

 the condition of the cardiac muscles, which are at 

 first irritated into excessive action as shown by the 

 strong, full, sharp, irregular pulse, subsequently 

 weakened but still irregular, and lastly exhausted 

 by excitement, so that the pulse becomes more and 

 more feeble till the close. There will be more or 

 U'ss difficulty in the breathing, loss of appetite, 

 although the animal may be thirsty. In some cases 

 there will be severe pain indicated by the animal 



