Paralysis Of The Muscles Of The Lower Jaw is a characteristic symptom of this form of the malady, and manifests itself early in the attack. The jaw drops and the mouth remains constantly open. In rare cases a partial control of the muscles is retained, sufficient to lift the jaw and possibly allow the animal to bite if sufficiently irritated. Barely more than a few hours, possibly three or four elapse after the disease manifests itself before this symptom appears. There is great difficulty in swallowing, and the poor dog will plunge his muzzle into the water up to the very eyes in order that he may get one drop into the back part of his mouth to cool his parched throat. It is in this form of rabies that frothing is observed, the flow of mucus and saliva in abundance dripping from the open mouth. The voice changed and of a hoarse tone, is seldom heard, and that peculiar combination of bark and howl, characteristic of the violent form of the disease, is entirely absent.

Death in the dumb form of rabies results more quickly, life being but rarely prolonged more than two or three days. The appearance of the eyes, and generally haggard and depressed look marking the derangement of the brain, the loss of appetite, the rapid emaciation and paralysis, arc symptoms resembling much those seen in the violent attack.

Both forms of the disease have appeared in the same kennels, and at the same time; inoculation from dogs suffering from the one variety may-give rise to either violent or dumb madness.

Diagnosis

In some cases of rabies a diagnosis will be difficult, while in others the signs will be sufficiently pronounced to render the task easier. It is to be remembered that but few animals can compare with the dog in intelligence and high mental development, that he possesses a sensitive and easily excited nature and is extremely liable to contract nervous derangements and diseases. This fact is demonstrated by the frequent occurrence of convulsions, chorea, and kindred disorders. Again it is more than probable that the study of canine ailments will yet prove to observers the existence in dogs of mental diseases, at present overlooked and unsuspected.

When an animal presents certain symptoms which are known to appear in rabies, all, the medical men by no means excepted, are much too ready-to jump at conclusions, and condemn to execution a poor animal as rabid, when he may be suffering from either meningitis, epilepsy, severe pain, excessive fear, neuralgia, starvation, toothache, parasites in the nasal cavity, acute otitis, disease of the kidneys, or some disturbance of the brain of which at present we have no knowledge. Nor must we forget the action of certain irritant poisons which when swallowed cause intense inflammation of the throat, stomach, and intestines.

Few there are who have not seen dogs in a state of delirium caused by the action of the intense heat of the sun. Others doubtless have witnessed the extreme mental disturbance of a bitch deprived of her whelps, and he distress and efforts of an animal to free himself from restraint in a new home, and return to his old master and those he loves.

Some readers will naturally observe that to mistake for rabies many of the diseases referred to must be impossible, and yet such errors are more easily made than they imagine, for not only in these but in other diseases unmentioned, there occur symptoms resembling somewhat those of the dread malady. Again it must be remembered that fear prejudices reason, dulls perception, and blunts judgment; even the thoughts of hydrophobia incite a measure of terror, and important symptoms are overlooked, while many in nowise significant become pronounced.

As one authority has said, "in forming the diagnosis, we should have constantly before us a picture of the disease as a whole, and never base an opinion upon individual symptoms, such as the propensity to bite, which may be slight, or even entirely absent".

Passing in review, the characteristic symptoms of the violent form of rabies are: the marked uneasiness, the delirium and very great excite-ment occurring in paroxysmal attacks, the tendency to bite, the efforts to break away, the peculiarly changed voice, the perverted appetite, the rapid emaciation, exhaustion, and invariably fatal termination.

In the sullen or dumb form the violent stage is omitted or hardly recognizable ; it runs an extremely rapid course, the animals are quiet and depressed, have but little disposition to bite or run away; early in the disease are paralyzed in the lower jaw, have perverted appetite, changed voice, rarely heard, progressive emaciation and exhaustion, and seldom live beyond the third day.