Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1872-10-24
The Symptoms of HydrophObia.

hOf- JOaN ". OALIoN W
the Herald Of Health a valuable article on
hydrophObia. We copy his directions
for recognizing the dread disease in dogs,
and recommend their preservation for
reference:
Now of the signs of hydrophobia in the
| dog. | presume that ninety-nine out of
every hundred. perhaps nine hundred and
| ninety-nine of every thousand, think that
| dogs get mad only in hot mediterranean
in eold-and that they have horror of
water. This is not true. The disease is
no more prevalent in hot than cold wealth
er. Dogs have no horror of water, but,
| being feverish, drink frequently. The
| symptoms in the dog have been fully
studied at Abort. He first gives evidence
of being sick, loses his appetite, refuses
food, skulks out of sight, avoids his COM
panions and playfellows, and hides in
| dark corners. Now, as hydrophobia is
| so dangerous disease, n dog showing
| signs of sickness should be watched.
Whatever the nature of the sickness may
be, however, a dog will always act in this
way. These symptoms are not pathog-
| nomonic. But there is another symptom
which, if it occurs in connection with
these, is very suggestive. 1t is peculiar
agitation. The dog with hydrophobia
does not lie in one corner ten minutes to-
SOluOl. 11C ID liOl StillSuGu W IClldlu III
one locality. Should his master call him
he goes to him, but quickly returns to
| corner. Ii he has a kennel he runs into
it. He piles the straw up in the middle
of the kennel and lies upon it. In few
moments more he jumps up and pushes
all the straw out ON the ground. These
are extremely suspicious circumstances,
and call for careful confinement of the
dog.
Next, the dog has hallucinations. All
at once in changing his position he stops,
pricks up his ears, and seems to hear
something. This is bat momentary.
Again, he appears to hear some other
dog on the opposite side of wall or a
door, and scratches to get to him. He
snaps at imaginary flies. Now is surely
the time to place him in confinement.
Up to this period he has shown no dis
position to bite. 1t must be borne in
mind that when sick, the natural disposi-
ton of the dog remains. If he be ma
turally excitable and aggressive, he will
be more apt to bite. He will be more
apt to bite a stranger or begs ar than
one of the family, or his master. Indeed,
he will not bite his master, unless driven
too far. He will even come, though re-
luctantly, at his masters call, and will
perhaps receive whip or two before his
unusual excitability overcomes his
habitual control, and induces HIM to bite.
All this time the hydrophobia dog will
drink. He will take more water than
usual; his apparent repugnance to it
never being so strong as in the human
subject.
The next symptom is depraved and
unnatural appetite, exhibited by biting
furniture, gnawing curtains or the car
pet, swallowing bits of wood, coal, brick,
even his own dung. This adds much to
the belief that he has hydrophobia. All
know that some pet dogs have habit of
gnawing books, but hydrophobia dogs,
having no such habits, do the same, and
besides, swallow what they gnaw off.
We have, then, agitation and extreme
restlessness, hallucinations, and depraveG
appetite, as symptoms of the approach of
the dangerous stage of hydrophobia.
When member of family is supposed
to have been bitten by rabid dog, it is
the habit to kill the dog at once. This is
all wrong. The only means of deciding
whether the supposition is correct is thus
destroyed. 1t is well known that the
house-dog is prone to epilepsy. If in the
paroxysm he may have accidentally Bit
ten or appeared to snap at some one, let
him be confined and watched for q few
days. r 90. ..
The fourth symptom is a peculiar bark.
| have never heard it. 1t does not always
occur, but when it does exist is consider
ed a very valuable symptom. 1t is very
difficult to describe, but is spoken of as a
loud, quick bark, followed by . series of
diminishing howls.
The fifth symptom is insalivation, in
regard to which misconception has
arisen. There is no great abundance OF
saliva, but it is peculiar in quality. 1t is
very viscid, and hangs down in strings
from the mouth, giving to the human and
the dog an appearance of peculiar and
unaccountable distress. The dog appears
to be annoyed beyond expression, and
makes every effort to remove the viscid
strings of saliva with his paws. These
efforts have occasionally given rise to the
idea that bone or piece of wood is
lodged in the teeth or throat, and in one
instance veterinary surgeon, in making
an examination, was bitten.
Now the aggressive disposition begins
to show itself. The insane desire to bite
| is first excited by animals of its own
| species. Next the dog attacks man, but
I even now discriminates in favor of its
master and friends. A stranger or some
one coming to the door is attacked. Now
that the disease is fully established, the
dog disappears from home, probably with
Withdrawing from observation. But new
and greater sources of irritation meet
him at every step. The noises of the
carts and horses, and of people, increase
his excitability. If he should escape
death and succeed in reaching the fields,
he reels along from side. TO side, swapping
at anything and nothing until finally
paralysis occurs, and he lies on the side
of the road, to die in few hours, if
not sooner killed by his pursuers. Some
times, finding no rest or escape, he goes
back to his masters house. But he has
undergone an extraordinary change in
appearance. He is draggled, and dusty,
and exhausted. Ignorant of his true con-
dition, some of the household pity him,
and no sooner touch him than they re-
ceive the fatal bite.
Thanksgiving.