Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-01-14
TRAcEp no A sKuNKs BIrE.
HydrophObia Which Caused the Death
of Pigs. Dogs Cows and a Horse

HydrophObia Which Caused the Death
of Pigs, Dogs, Cows, and a Horse.
Chatham IN. IT, Special to Net0 York Times,
Jan. II.
The farmers in the vicinity of this place
are very much interested in several cases
of hydrOphObia, presumably caused by the
bite of a skunk, that have caused the
deaths of a number of domestic animals
on farms here within the past few weeks.
The losers are Israel W. Budd, a milk
man who runs large dairy farm on Budd
lane, and his brother, William T. Budd,
who is we'll known among dog faneiers in
New York as trainer of hunting dogs,
who owns the farm adjoining.
About three weeks ago William Budd
found dead skunk in his hog-pen which
had evidently crawled in there during the
night and been killed by the pigs. The
three pigs in the pen were in most eX-
cited state, and they ran about with bris-
ting hair for several hours, refusing to
eat and manifesting extraordinary per-
turbation. After a time they Gained
down, but week later one of them be-
gan to act in a most peculiar manner. 1t
ran wildly about the pen, refused its food,
snapped and bit at the other pigs, and
finally fell on It's back, frothing at the
mouth, snd died. A few days ago one of
the remaining animals manifested the
lent manner. 1t would rush around the
pen for several minutes, and then jump
high into the air and fall down and trem-
bic. 1t bit and tore the other pigfuriously
and Budd finally shot them both. He has
no doubt that the three animals were
suffering from hydrophobia commune
Gated by the bite Of the skunk they had
killed in the pen three weeks before.
Mr., Israel Budd's loss was much more
10 a { "a
/ and owned young shepherd dog that was
trained to drive them to and from the pas
ture. One day in October the dog had q
misunderstanding with skunk in the
barn-yard, from which he retired YictOri-
Gus, but unpresentable in polite society.
| A week afterWard the dog manifested un-
mistakable symptoms of the rabies, and
flew at a valuable horse belonging to Mr..
Budd and bit it in the nose. The dog was
at once chained up, but it broke the chain
during the night, and in the morning ran
down into the village and bit several other
dogs. Fortunately it did not bite any hui
man beings, although several had narrow
escapes. From the village the mad dog
ran over to Stanley, another little town
| two miles east, where it created some.
thing like panic. 1t bit number OF
/ dogs, and finally chased little son OF
! William Genung into his fathers door.
| JdIu. MIS- OcuuuS IueAS0 OuO W bHt
! rescue of her child with a chair, and the
brute flew at her and tore her clothing
and finally seized her by the bOot-heel, tC
| which it held fast until her husband killed
| it with an axe.
The wounds Of the horse that had been
! bitten were at once cauterized and the
animal was placed in a box stall and
watched. Budd thought ten days would
decide whether or net the disease had been
communicated to the beast, but TO make
| sure he kept him confined for two weeks
! The animal had shown no indications OF
! hydrOphobia at the end of that time, and
| Budd thought all danger was past and
began to use the horse as before. A week
afterward a son of Mr., Budd was harness
ing the animal up with another horse
when it suddenly sprang over the wagon
pole, seized its mate by the nose with
its teeth, and clung to it until the
young man drove 1T away with a cart
stake. The horse was put into the
bQX-stall again, where it became furious
| and had fits of rage so that it was feared
it would break from the stall, 1t tore the
manger with its teeth and would spring
| savagelY at the little door to the stall
| whenever any one opened it. The horses
rawlings became so violent and powerful
that Mr.. Budd finally shot it in the stall
The other horse that had been bitten was
at once treated for hydrOpbObia, and the
decorations OF its nose were cauterized as
the others had been, but SO far it has
shown no symptoms of the disease, though
Mr.. Budd is still on the watch for any
manifestations.
Only a few days after the horse was
| killed one of the COWS did not come bacl
from the pasture with the rest of the here
at.eyening, and young Budd went to lool
for it. The cow was running wildly
about the pasture, trothing at the moutl
and believing. Occasionally it would
fall to the ground and tremble and theT
get up and renew its antics, manifesting
symptoms similar to those shown by The
horse. The COW was kept from the res
of che herd, and it died in paroxysms in &
few hours. Within the next week five
other COWS were seized with the same
symptoms and died il the same manner
| Mr.. Budd did not have any investigation
made as to the cause of the deaths, but ht
has no doubt that they had been bitten by
the dog while being driven to or from thu
pasture. He is positive that the dog.
hydrophobia was caused by the bite of thu
skunk, because the disease came on soor
after its fight with the animal, and there
were no other dogs in the vicinity. The
animals that Mr.. Budd's dog bit in this
village and Stanley have been killed.