12 
COLORADO EXPERIMENT STATION 
often noted to be inflamed, (splenitis), it often is three or four times 
its normal size. The fat is somewhat of a lemon yellow. The lymph 
glands (kernels) are noted to be swollen and hemorrhages in them. 
Pneumonia may be present. The bone is black. When the small 
intestines are opened ulcers are found on the inner surface. 
Symptoms: In the more severe cases the animal may die in a 
very few hours after the first symptoms are noted. 
If the disease in the individual assumes a milder type there is 
first seen signs of fever, chill, not caring to move, will lie apart from 
the balance of the herd. There will be a loss of appetite, the bowels 
may be normal, or constipated, or diarrhea may be present. If pneu¬ 
monia is present there will be noted an increase in respiration. The 
eyes are congested in the earlier stages, later a watery discharge and a 
gummy, adhesive yellowish or whitish accumulation in the corners of 
the eyes. The animal may cough, is now tucked up in the flanks and 
has a jerky respiration commonly called “thumps.” 
Treatment: The first measures should be a thorough cleaning up 
of the houses and yards. The hog troughs should be kept thoroughly 
clean and disinfected. The task of thoroughly disinfecting the hog 
houses, yards, troughs and fences is not an easy one but the free use 
of a spray gun with five per cent carbolic acid, bichloride of mercury 
one dram to each gallon of water, or creolin one per cent will do much 
good in the way of disinfection. 
* Medicines which are given by the mouth or in the feed are of 
little or no value. Many so-called 'diog cholera cures” are put on the 
market, but they are fakes pure and simple. It is an easy matter to 
get testimonials. Passification of the mind may do as a “placebo” 
but if the hogs get cholera they will need something other than talk. 
There is one method of producing immunity against hog cholera and 
that is by serum injection. For many years after the discovery of the 
bacillus cholerae suis the manufacture of hog cholera serum was at¬ 
tempted by the United States Department of Agriculture through its 
Bureau of Animal Industry. 
This serum is made by hyperimmunizing the hog by taking a hog 
that has passed through the disease and injecting this pig with a 
quantity of virus from a hog sick with cholera and in this way pro¬ 
ducing in this hog a greater resistance, and as a result the serum from 
the blood of this hyperimmunized hog will produce a greater resistance 
against the disease in another individual and make it proof against 
cholera. 
The Bureau of Animal Industry has been conducting extensive 
experiments along this line in Iowa for several years and have per¬ 
fected this method of treatment. They have asked the Experiment 
Stations of the various States to cooperate by establishing the hog 
cholera experiments departments upon their farm so as to manufacture 
and furnish at a minimum cost all serum needed within the State. The 
serum perhaps costs a trifle more than those serums which can be 
produced by using the horse as the hog does not furnish a great deal 
of blood. 
