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- 
pure condition of the blood, also hog cholera. 
Symptoms: The attack is usually ushered in 
with 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 early 
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 
less 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 
