River Falls Journal

The Signs of Madness in Dogs.

The British Medical Journal calls attention to the measures recommended by the Council of Hygiene of Bordeaux, for the better protection of people against the dangers of hydrophobia. It is well known that the madness of dogs has a period which is premonitory and harmless. If these periods were generally known, the dogs could be put out of the way before they become dangerous. On this subject the Council of Hygiene has issued the following instructions:

A short time, sometimes two days, after madness has seized a dog, it creates symptoms in the animal which it is indispensable to recognize.

1. There is agitation and restlessness, and the dog turns himself continually in his kennel. If he be at liberty he goes and comes, and seems to be seeking something; then he remains motionless, as if waiting: then starts, bites the air, as if he would catch a fly, and dashes himself howling and barking against the wall. The voice of his master dissipates these hallucinations; the dog obeys, but slowly, with hesitation, as if with regret.

2. He does not try to bite; he is gentle, even affectionate, and he eats and drinks, but gnaws his litter, and the ends of curtains, the padding of cushions, the coverlids of the beds, carpets, etc.

3. By the movement of his paws about the sides of his open mouth one might think he was trying to free his throat of a bone.

4. His voice undergoes such a change that it is impossible not to be struck by it.

5. The dog begins to fight with other dogs. This is a decidedly characteristic sign, if the dog be generally peaceful.

The three symptoms last mentioned indicate an advanced period of the disease, and that the dog may become dangerous at any moment, if immediate measures are not taken. It is better still to kill him. The Boston Medical and Surgical Journal suggests that this advice be inserted at least once a year in the public papers. It would seem particularly desirable and practicable that these rules should be printed on the back of the notices and receipts for dog taxes. These excellent measures ought to be generally adopted.