The Farmer's Veterinarian: A Practical Treatise on the Diseases of Farm StockBurkett, Charles William
Science
The Farmer's Veterinarian: A Practical Treatise on the Diseases of Farm Stock
Burkett, Charles William
Veterinary medicine
The farmer, and for that matter the public in general, should bear in
mind that the cause of hog cholera is a living organism capable of
enormously rapid self-multiplication--actual, though very minute
particles of matter. This, fully understood, makes it apparent that
infection may be carried in any way that other fine particles of matter
may be carried. It thus becomes very apparent that the infection may be
carried by sick hogs or upon the legs and bodies of hogs not sick; it
may be carried in wagon boxes, in hog racks, in stock cars, or upon
shoes and clothing of people. It is very evident that the infection may
be carried down stream, especially in small creeks, and give rise to
other outbreaks.
So far as the sick hog is concerned, we are quite sure that the blood
and the manure are thoroughly infectious and there can be no question
concerning the infectiousness of fresh carcasses of dead hogs. Perhaps
we should say first of all that we rarely get all of the accepted
symptoms of hog cholera plainly shown in one case. It is important to
bear in mind that cases vary in virulence from those of very chronic
type where hogs live for weeks and finally die or recover, to very acute
cases where they die overnight.
The hog coming down with cholera is usually sluggish at first, lying
around in the shade and refusing feed. The hair may become rough. The
eyes early show symptoms of inflammation, with a sticky discharge. There
is usually a suppressed cough. The gait may become irregular and
uncertain, especially with the hind legs. After these preliminary
symptoms have been shown for a time, the skin becomes red, changing to
purple, especially noticeable in white-haired hogs. The hog is then
usually within a very few days of death.
As already explained, not all cases are typical. Sometimes hogs die in
an outbreak of cholera from undoubted hog cholera, and yet the ante
mortem or post mortem symptoms show very little upon which to base a
diagnosis. But we may easily demonstrate that these were cases of
cholera by injecting their blood into susceptible hogs and by thus
producing typical cholera.
[Illustration: THE RESULT OF HOG CHOLERA
A post mortem of a hog dying from cholera will show ulcers like those
pictured here. Look for them in the large intestine.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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