Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1912-02-29
HOG CHOLERA
An Acute infectious Disease
Among Hogs
sv Or. C. A. Lueder, Assistant FRO
lessor of Veterinary Science west
Virginia University.

especially prevalent In the large Nos
districts of the United States.
Enormous losses are caused yeaIy
IN the hog-raising states OF the Miuue
West. and it may be safely SAID tha'
in some states the loss amounts 10 one
million dollars every year. Al 'hs
nresent time the disease is prevalent
IN different sections of West virginia
and il the proper precautions are not
taken to stamp out the disease II VIII
gain a foothold that will De naru -
overcome.
The germ which causes hog choiera
Is found in the blood and In all eAcre'
tons of the sick hogs, especiaily ~
the urine. This germ is classed as
one of the invisible heterogeneous,
and. while it is the specihc cause VI
hog cholera, there are many lhlhss
which may help the disease along; III
fact, anything that Will lower tne
health of the hog, as improper ieea'
ing, unclean stables, damp or coiu
beds. dirty feed troughs or pals. ANY
one of these will help the disease
along, but will not actually cause It.
The germs are present everywhere
IN the bodies OF the sick hogs, ana are
thrown off by the millions In the
feces. urine and slobber, thus smear
ing the yards and pens. The worst
thing to spread the disease Is the SICK
hog. but any agent that might carry
a particle OF dirt from the pens or
yards may be means of spreading the
disease.
Sick hogs running on the commons;
purchasing new hogs that have oeen
exposed to the disease before the
purchase; returning hogs from fairs
or stock shows where they have been
exposed; hogs shipped by rail coming
in contact with contaminated cars
public sheds, yards and along the pub
lie highways, may be the means OF
causing an outbreak Of the disease.
The only safe plan Is to place all
neYly-purchased hogs In different
lots or pens entirely away from the
healthy sheds, and give them their
own attendant, separate feed and the
use of separate utensils for at least
thirty days.
After hog cholera has visited farm
the houses, lots, feeding troughs, uten'
sils and cleaning implements have all
become contaminated, and Il new hogs
are placed in such quarters they will
surely contract the disease. This be-
ing the case, the quarters should be
thoroughly cleaned. all dead hogs
be burned or buried deep with lime,
all litter, troughs and utensils used
by sick hogs should be burned and
lime scattered over the ground. All
filth and litter under the pens should
be cleaned out and lime scattered
about. The filth should be disinfected
! with solution of cresol, one part to
twenty parts Of water The house
| should be thoroughly whitewashed In
side and out with twenty parts OF
whitewash to one part cresol. BY
using rigid precautions and thorough
ly disinfecting 1t might be possible to
bring new hogs into these pens with
out any serious results in about three
months; but, unless the above precau.
lions are adhered to closely 1t would
not be advisable to return hogs to
these pens inside Of one year.
| The symptoms of hog cholera are
! FIRST noticed when one or two hogs re-
| fuse to eat and before the owner real
ICES the situation other hogs are at
tackled, and the disease Is spread
through the whole herd in few days.
It Is characterized by the loss Of ap-
petite, high fever, coughing, q brown,
| colored exudate around the eyes,
| be diarrhea. On examining the skin
there may be purple areas on the sur.
| face Of the abdomen, on the inside OF
| the legs, and around the ears and
neck II the above symptoms are OBJ
served and the disease has spread
through the herd in contagious man
ner, it is very likely hog cholera il
present; but in order to be sure post
mortem examination must be made.
In treating this disease experience
shows that medicine Is not a cure or
even a preventive, in q true sense Of
the word, but good condition powder
mixed with the feed will help the hogs
in a good many cases. In Farmers
Bulletin No. "a, by DR.. D. E. Salmon.
is the following formula which was
used for many years As a preventive:
Wood CHARCOAL ID.
Sulphur Id.
Sodium chloride-2 lbs.
Sodium hypo-sulphite-2 lbs.
Sodium bicarbonate-2 lbs.
Black antimony-1 Id.
These powders are mixed with the
feed in the proportion OF one large
tablespoonful once day to every two
hundred pound weight Of hogs. Even
though this remedy be used, strict at.
tention must be given to combining the
animals. and to the sanitary measures,
II the disease Is 10 be kept from
spreading over the nelghborhood.
The only really satisfactory means
OF controlling the disease is to
immunize the healthy hogs by inject.
ing into them a prepared hog cholera
serum. This must be applied by a
veterinarian, and may be secured from
the United States department OF agri.
culture. It is hoped that arrangements
may be made so that the West Vir.
ginia Experiment Station may make
this serum and have II available for
the farmers of the state.