If regularly given to hogs, and sanitary conditions are maintained, this tonic and regulator will largely fortify them against contagious diseases.
ABORTION.
Cause.—Sows may abort at any state of pregnancy by slipping, falling, receiving kicks, or by being caught while crawling through or under fences. Sows may also abort when allowed to crawl into quarters where there are other hogs. Contagious diseases, such as Cholera and Pleuropneumonia also produce abortion. There is also a contagious form of abortion in sows, but this is very uncommon, as the disease spreads very slowly.
Symptoms.—There is no warning given, as a rule; the sows expel their pigs before any signs of abortion are noticed.
In other cases the sows refuse to eat, become uneasy, shivering and trembling of the muscles, and straining or labor pains are noticed. As a rule, when a sow aborts, she will not prepare a bed, as she would normally.
Treatment.—Preventive is the only safe and sure treatment, although when the first signs of abortion appear, and there are no signs of the membranes coming away, remove the sow to quiet, warm, clean quarters by herself, and if straining, give one dram of Chloral-Hydrate in her drinking water every two or three hours.
When a sow aborts, burn the pigs and afterbirth, and disinfect the pens with a Coal Tar disinfectant. Keep this up for several days, and do not breed until all discharges from the vagina have ceased flowing.
ADMINISTRATION OF MEDICINE TO HOGS.
To administer medicine to hogs may seem easy, but, nevertheless, it is a difficult task. Never lay a hog on his back to drench him, as in so doing there is great danger of strangling. The proper method is to stand or set him on end, holding him up by the ears, and by the use of a bottle with a piece of hose drawn over its neck, give the medicine very slowly, so as not to allow a large quantity to accumulate in the mouth or throat at one time. There is always danger of some of the liquid escaping into the lungs and causing the hog to strangle, and thus it may produce pneumonia. However, this is the best method of giving hogs medicine by force.