The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1916-08-14

ACCORDING 10 age WORN IrdOltlOu,
that mysterious portion of August
known as dog days" is about here.
Certain persons believe in this myth
dog that acts queerly, but generally
matter. For the mad dog is really
rarity and his madness may come
in cold as well as hot weather.
No Season Preference.
Rabies has no seasons preference,
winter or summer, spring or autumn.
Rabies, If it is lurking around, will
out. Our grandm others, however,
talked of the dog days" as did their
grandmothers. Therefore the myth
must be kept rolling on f.om genera
ton to generation, despite common
sense and the fallacy of 1t all.
If rabies is suspected in a district
1t would be criminal negligence not
to act, and act promptly, but to bottle
up or brand by suggestion commun-
ity of healthy, uncontaminated dogs
because of the dog days" is bucoli-
cism.
Doesn't Froth.
A rabid dog never froths at the
mouth. Neither does he run around
in circles, try frenziedly to jump up
walls or fences or utter short, sharp
"yaps." II anyone who shu1d read
this happens to encounter dog act
ing thus, rest assured the dog is In
a fit from which there is no more
danger possible than there is in tack
ling portion OF ice cream.
Few persons have seen rabid
4 LII -
have will never forget 1t or ever mis-
as conceived in the halcyon days OF
Nuremburg could not surpass it. And
it is for this reason a rabid dog
avoids, not courts" contact. Soli-
tude and escape from the hellish tor
ment which gripes him are the ever
increasing impulses of the victim. He
snaps at obstacles in his way from
sheer dread of the pain of contact.
Returning to the subject of dog
days." fits are, more prevalent than
at any other season. The chief rea-
son for this is that more filters of
pups are born in early spring than
at any other period. This means that
there are more teething puppies dur
ing the hot spell than at any other
time of the year. Puppies suffer from
their teeth as do children. The pup
pies nerves are unstrung, their diges-
tive apparatus is askew, and, taken
all in all, teething puppy is tuned
up to pitch where he would jump
at shadow or be scared out Of his
wits at a rustling leaf.
Noise StartIes Him.
In this condition he is taken out,
or gets or, into the hot sun. Some
I'M, amiliar noise startles tin and
he 8 of, darting hither and thither,
to the accompaniment of short, sharp
yaps. AS most people are loath to
handle strange dog in it's sober
senses, few are inclined to grab by
the scruff of the neck an apparently
mad dog. The only alternative is
to let the unfortunate dart some
where out of the light-a cellar or
cupboard. Once in a dark place the
fit will subside, in all probability. In
a few minutes. When it does, leave
the stricken one to himself for half
an hour, and unless he is again un.
duly excited it will probably prove
his first and last offense. II the
fit should recur, bromide Of potassium
shaken on the tongue, five grains for
a dog the size of fox terrier and so
on in proportion, should have the de-
sired effect, or at all events a repe-
tition Of the dose should be given
only between spasms.
No doubt the fact that teething
puppies are more abundant in the
hot months, and therefore dogs in
fits are more frequently met with,
gives rise to the phantasy of the
dog days"