Imperial Valley press., 1917-03-28
DESCRIBES FEATURES
Of HOG VACCINATION

AS hog raising is considered one of
the leading industries of Imperial Val
ley, the following article, written for
the Pacific Rural Press, may be of in
terest to ranchers:
eve watched DR.. r. w. Ritter Of
Imperial county vaccinate a lot of pigs
averaging 40 to so pound, for L. Z.
Rogers not long ago. There was no
cholera in the herd and the 300 vac
Icinated that afternoon were simply in
Isured against the disease. at a cost of
about 40 cents per pig. Since these
Irigs are likely to sell at SIG to $40
each, the insurance cost 2 to 21b per
cent. Lots Of farmers without SINH
lar insurance have lost their work.
feed and stock for a whole season or
longer.
About 100 pigs of similar size were
corralled while the doctor prepared his
out fit. It took an hour to vaccinate
them. A box was set just over the
low fence beside which he was to
work. A bucket of creolin solution
and sponge or cloth to wash dirty pigs
was put handy The bottles of re-
rum and virus, with labels properly
attached to show the date after which
they must not be used, were set out.
A cup was provided for the disinfec-
tant for the point of injection, and a
brush like a wide toothbrush was
used to apply it. Syringes for virus
and serum had graduates; and a nut
on the handle of each could be turned
to the right point, so enough but not
too much could be used at one injec-
tion. The serum syringe held so C. eff
CT enough for three average pigs. The
virus syringe held less, for only one
e. C. of virus is used per 20 of the
serum. Needles for both are remov-
able, and of course hollow. They are
three-fourths of an inch long for the
virus and twice as long for serum.
The disinfectant was half idonine and
half alcohol, which is as good and
/ less expensive than all iodine. A hol-
low needle was provided to stick
through the corks of the virus bot
ties. To fill the syringe with virus
its needleewas taken out and the sy-
ringe fitted down over the needle ir
the cork. The whole thing was ther
tipped upside down and the syringe
handle pulled back to withdraw virus
from the bottle. Thus no virus coulc
touch anything outside, nor could for
eign matter get into it. The Serum
was simply poured into cup from
which its syringe was filled once fol
every three pigs vaccinated.
"The end of the corral was panelec
off about 6x8 feet and a bunch O
pigs run in whenever needed. Thu
it was handy for one man to catch ;
pig while one held another for thu
doctor to vaccinate.
"The man holding the pig woulc
learn against the fence, grasp tn
pigs hind legs, holding its bacl
against his stomach and its head be
tween his knees. Meanwhile the doc
tor took both syringes into his lef
hand, and with his right hand washet
the dirt off from between the hin,
legs and the belly with creolin solution
if it was dirty, and disinfected tn
, surface with his odine brush in ever,
case. Then he showed the virus sy
rirge needle through and under tn
, skin at point just below the deep
est hollow between ham and belly a
the pig was held with his legs in lin
with his belly. The handle showed t,
the set-nut injected the virus and tn,
syringe was withdrawn. Immediate