ECZEMA IN SWINE.
Secondary skin lesions, maculæ, vesicles, seborrhœa, crusts. Impetigo of young: cold weather: exposure: filth: spoiled or improper food. Symptoms: eyelids, etc., show itchy, red, swelling, pustules, scabs, erosions, may affect nose or mouth. Duration 20 days. Hot weather aggravates. Treatment: cleanse: soapy washes: emollient ointments, astringent lotions, saline laxative, diuretics.
Disease of the skin is by no means uncommon in swine, but it occurs mostly as a manifestation of an acute general malady. Thus in the different specific diseases, caused by microbes, maculæ in the form of blood extravasations, punctiform or in extended patches are constant phenomena. In some cases this is complicated by a vesicular eruption, or by a seborrhœa and by a dense accumulation of black crust on the surface.
Impetigo of Pigs. Benion and Cadeac describe this as a sporadic affection of young pigs especially, which has been attributed to cold stormy weather, lack of shelter, filthy pens, spoiled food and insufficient nourishment.
Symptoms. The skin of the eyelids and other parts of the body presents itchy, red, hot and swollen patches, which gradually pass into a pustular eruption. The pustules no larger than a millet seed, burst in forty-eight hours, and discharge a yellowish or purulent liquid which concretes around the eyelashes or bristles, and glue the eyelids together. The crusts may increase so as to cover the affected part of the skin by a dense scabby covering which is firmly adherent and when detached leaves a bleeding surface. It may extend to the different mucosæ of the eye, nose or mouth. The disease runs a course of twenty days or less being retarded by the extremes of temperature. During the heats of summer the attendant pruritus is very great and annoying. During convalescence the scabs and crusts gradually detach themselves and drop off leaving the healthy skin covered at first by a somewhat delicate epidermis.
Treatment is confined to cleanliness, soapy washes, emollient ointments and astringent lotions (lead acetate, sulphuric or hydrochloric acid) but no premature detachment of scabs is permissible. Saline laxatives and diuretics are often called for.