50 DISEASES OF THE HOG. 
Causes: Eating decayed vegetable matter or 
vegetables not easily digested, putrid animal sub- 
stances and constipation; lying in cold, damp 
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 sey- 
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 
ata ee eh al 
