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Epileptiform Attacks in the Pig
20 3
(tltnical tlrticles. EPILEPTIFORM ATTACKS IN THE PIG. BY HENRY
TAYLOR,
F.R. C .V. S.,
HAYW A RD S
H E ATH,
SUSSE X.
SIX young pigs, about si x or eight weeks old, we re bein g fattened together in a yard. One morning the owner noticed th 2. t two of them came to the trough as usual at feeding time, partook of a s mall quantity, and then backed away and fell down in a fit. Being at the place one day the owner mentioned the occ urrence to me, and asked if I would like to witness the performa nce, saying it could be brought on by simply feeding them. Accordingly some food wa s placed in th e trough, the animals came to feed, all looking in good condition, and to all a ppearances healthy. vVhen they had eaten fi ve or six mouthfuls rave nously, two of them backed away, keeping their mouths open a s if they had partaken of some irritant liquid, walked about two yards, th en fell on their sides. They lay there ki r:king and convulsed, somewhat similar to the death gallop of an expiring horse. In one animal the legs were then slowly drawn up to the body. Both squealed loudly for half a minute or so. The convulsions ceased in a short time, and the animals la y almost still. One reco vered in two minutes from the com mencement of the attack, then came and ate at the trough absolu tely as if nothing had ever happened to cause a break in the meal. Th e other pig looked sleepy for some time afterwards, and did not a ttempt to feed; he took much longer to come round. The food consisted only of sha rps and wat er, and the same sharps had been used for a couple of weeks. To the naked eye th ey appeared all right. I recommended a change of food nevertheless, and the animals rece ived some magnesium sulphate and potassium bromide mixed amo ngst the total feed. The latter was about one drachm each pig per day. Vvhether the affected animals go t much of the drug or not I am unable to state, but th e owner informed me that the fits diminished in freq uency, and shortly afterwards ceased.
A CASE OF TETAN U S IN THE PIG . BY H ENRY TAYL OR , F.R. C.V. S. , HAY WARD S HEATH , SU SS E X.
TI-IE animal in question was a small one, about eight or ten weeks old, and had been running a lon g with some more in a farmyard. The farmer had previously lost one showing identical symptoms. W hen I saw the former he was lying in an exca vation in a ma nure heap. The symptoms shown were ha rdness and rigidity of the muscles of the back, loins, neck, &c., trismus, and stilty action-in fact a ll the classical symptoms of the disease. He did not squeal so much as a pig with rheumatism when made to move . There were two rather
(tltnical tlrticles. EPILEPTIFORM ATTACKS IN THE PIG. BY HENRY
TAYLOR,
F.R. C .V. S.,
HAYW A RD S
H E ATH,
SUSSE X.
SIX young pigs, about si x or eight weeks old, we re bein g fattened together in a yard. One morning the owner noticed th 2. t two of them came to the trough as usual at feeding time, partook of a s mall quantity, and then backed away and fell down in a fit. Being at the place one day the owner mentioned the occ urrence to me, and asked if I would like to witness the performa nce, saying it could be brought on by simply feeding them. Accordingly some food wa s placed in th e trough, the animals came to feed, all looking in good condition, and to all a ppearances healthy. vVhen they had eaten fi ve or six mouthfuls rave nously, two of them backed away, keeping their mouths open a s if they had partaken of some irritant liquid, walked about two yards, th en fell on their sides. They lay there ki r:king and convulsed, somewhat similar to the death gallop of an expiring horse. In one animal the legs were then slowly drawn up to the body. Both squealed loudly for half a minute or so. The convulsions ceased in a short time, and the animals la y almost still. One reco vered in two minutes from the com mencement of the attack, then came and ate at the trough absolu tely as if nothing had ever happened to cause a break in the meal. Th e other pig looked sleepy for some time afterwards, and did not a ttempt to feed; he took much longer to come round. The food consisted only of sha rps and wat er, and the same sharps had been used for a couple of weeks. To the naked eye th ey appeared all right. I recommended a change of food nevertheless, and the animals rece ived some magnesium sulphate and potassium bromide mixed amo ngst the total feed. The latter was about one drachm each pig per day. Vvhether the affected animals go t much of the drug or not I am unable to state, but th e owner informed me that the fits diminished in freq uency, and shortly afterwards ceased.
A CASE OF TETAN U S IN THE PIG . BY H ENRY TAYL OR , F.R. C.V. S. , HAY WARD S HEATH , SU SS E X.
TI-IE animal in question was a small one, about eight or ten weeks old, and had been running a lon g with some more in a farmyard. The farmer had previously lost one showing identical symptoms. W hen I saw the former he was lying in an exca vation in a ma nure heap. The symptoms shown were ha rdness and rigidity of the muscles of the back, loins, neck, &c., trismus, and stilty action-in fact a ll the classical symptoms of the disease. He did not squeal so much as a pig with rheumatism when made to move . There were two rather