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RHEUMATISM. 

 There is no disease, except distemper and mange, 

 to which dogs are so liable as to a rheumatic aftec- 

 tion of some part of the body. This complaint has 

 almost as many varieties in dogs as it has in man ; 

 and it has some peculiarities that are observed in the 

 dog only. One very extraordinary peculiarity is, that 

 the rheumatism never exists in a dos; without its affect- 

 ing the bowels; that is, whatever part of the body 

 is affected, either an active rheumatic inflammation 

 of the bowels is going on, or there is a painful torpor : 

 in either case there is commonly costiveness present. 

 The most common form of this complaint is a similar 

 affection to what is in the human subject termed lum- 

 bago. In this case a dog is in general seized with a to- 

 tal loss of the use of his hind legs ;, his back, about the 

 loins, is tender and painful to the touch. He screams 

 on being moved, and he has in general costiveness, 

 but always pain and aii'eclion, of IIjc bowels. Some- 

 times Iheie is not total paralysis of the hind legs, in 

 which case the complaint is only less violent ; w hile 

 at others not only the hinder legs but the fore legs 

 are also completely paralysed and helpless. 



A certain prognostic of the termination of this 

 complaint is very diflicult to form, for sometimes the 

 limbs recover themselves very speedily, at others more 

 slowly ; but in the end they becouie strong; while 

 in some other cases the paralysis remains complete 

 through life, and the dog drags his hind legs after 

 him as long as he lives, or carries them completely 

 from the ground by the strength of his fore quarters. 

 When the paralysis is universal, the chance of per- 

 fect recovery is less than when it is partial, though 



