184 DISEASES OF THE HOG. 
Symptoms: Paralysis may come on suddenly 
or gradually. Usually the first thing noticeable 
in the pig will be some stiffness in rising and moy- 
ing about, with the back somewhat arched, knuck- 
ling forward on one or both of the hind legs at the 
ankles; by degrees this grows worse. If the pig 
can rise it may be unable to stand, as the hind legs 
will double under it. In some cases the animal 
seems to be more or less in pain and if made to 
move will drag its hind legs. If the animal is not 
properly treated it gets still weaker until it cannot 
move and usually dies in from one to two weeks. At 
first the appetite is not impaired nor the heart’s 
action increased, but as the disease advances the 
pig will eat but little and the pulse becomes faster 
and weaker. The only disease which might be 
mistaken for paralysis of the hind parts is rheuma- 
tism. There is no doubt but that severe rheuma- 
~tism will cause the animal to lose more or less con- 
trol of its hind legs. In rheumatism the animal 
will evince more pain on being handled and if ex- 
cited may even walk fer a short distance. There 
may bea combination of rheumatism and paralysis 
in cases where the rheumatism affects the sheath 
of the nerve, but as the treatment of this form of 
rheumatism would be the same or nearly so as in 
paralysis there would be no harm done in using it. 
Treatment: In the early stages of the disease 
give the pig one ounce of castor oil and one or two 
drops of croton oi] in it; as soon as the physic oper- 
ates give eight or ten grains of iodide of potassium 
three times a day in the drinking water; if the ani- 
