The Florence tribune., 1897-09-11
NO DOG DAYS.
And Mad Dogs Are Few and Far
 Between.
So Says n Reliable Authority on Such Matters-Hence We Should Not Cry "Mad Dog'' Too
 Soon.

Now, the very first observation we have to make on. this subject is that there are no such days in the years cal endar as "dog days" There are no days on which, and there is no kind of weather during which, dog is pecul- iarly liable to rabies. Rabies is a rare disease at all seasons of the year, and there are no more cases of rabies in July or August than in December or January. It follows, therefore, that there is no more reason to dread our family friend, the dog. in hot weather than in cold, and no more reason to dread hydrophobia from his bite at one time of the year than at another. The phrase "dog days" is a false and mis- leading phrase, which all humane per sons ought to avoid in the interest of the dog.
 We have said, and we repeat, that hydrophobia is one of the rarest of dis eases; and that when it appears to be developed, we believe if. in the vast ma jority of cases, to be a simulated dis ease, produced by a morbid imagina- ton. We do not go so far as to assert that it is never caused by the bite of a rabid animal; and therefore we would advise that all proper care should be taken to destroy without delay all an- imals that are affected with rabies. Yet here again we must recall the fact that rabies itself is one of the rarest of all the diseases with which dogs and other animals are affected. When we hear the cry of Mad dog!" the chances are millions to one that the dog is not mad; it is the people who are mad with ter TOT.
 In the 30 years since the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was established our officers and agents have been constantly on the outlook, but no undoubted case of rabies has ever fallen under their ob- servation or within their knowledge; and of over 160,000 dogs and other small animals which have been cared for at our shelter during the past three years, not one single case of rabies has been found. These facts sufficiently prove that rabies issrare in this city and in this state; but there is such disease, and it is important for the public, as well as yourself, that you should know whether a sick dog is or is not rabid. If you will note the following facts you will have no difficulty. You will prcb- ably find them to be quite different from the popular fancies by which most persons are misled.
 l. It is supposed that mad dog dreads water. It is not so. The mad dog is very likely to plunge his head 10 the eyes in water, though he cannot swallow it and laps it with difficulty.
 2. It is supposed that a mad dog runs about with evidences of intense excite ment. It is not so. The mad dog never runs about in agitation; he never gal lops; he is always alone, usually in a strange place, where he jogs along slowly. If he is approached by dog or man he shows no sign of excitement, but when the dog or man is near enough he snaps and resumes his solitary trot.
 3. If dog barks, yelps, whines or growls that dog is not mad. The only sound a mad dog is ever known to emit is hoarse howl, and that but seldom. Even blows will not extort an outcry from mad dog. Therefore, if any dog, under any circumstances, utters any other sound than that of hoarse howl, that dog is not mad.
 4. It is supposed that the mad dog froths at the mouth. It is not so. If dogs jaws are covered or flecked with white froth, that dog is not mad. The surest of all signs that dog is mad is thick and ropy brown mucus clinging to his lips, which he often tries vainly to tear away with his paws or to wash away with water.
 5. If your own dog is bitten by any other dog, watch hifs carefully. If he is infected by rabies you will discover signs of it possibly in from six to ten days. Then he will be restless, often getting up only to lie down again, changing his position impatiently, turning from side to side, and constant ly licking or scratching some particular part of his head, limbs, or body. He will be irritable and inclined to dash at other animals, and he will sometimes snap at objects which he imagines to be near him. He will be excessively thirsty, tapping water eagerly and often. Then there will be glandular swellings about his jaws and throat, and he will vainly endeavor to rid himself of thick, ropy, mucous discharge from his mouth and throat If he can he will probably stray away from home and trot slowly and mournfully along the highway or across country, meddling with neither man nor beast unless they approach him, and then givinga single snap. The only exception to this behavior occurs in ferocious dogs, which, during the earlier stage of excitement, may at tack any living object in sight.-Our Animal Friends.
 Within short period Mount Zion Ind.) hen has laid three eggs each 0f,ar -<Is..~ r.