RHEUMATISM. 143 



smaller joints, but confines itself to the trunk and upper portions 

 of the extremities : neither does it wander, as the human rheu- 

 matism, from place to place, but usually remains where it first 

 attacked. 



A certain prognostic of the termination of this acute type of 

 the complaint is very difficult to form ; for, in some cases, the 

 limbs recover themselves very speedily, in others more slowly : 

 while, not unfrequently, the paralysis remains through life, and 

 when confined to the hinder extremities, the animal drags them 

 after him as long as he lives, or he gets the habit of carrying them 

 completely from the ground by the strength of his fore quarters. 

 When the paralysis is universal, the chance of perfect recovery is 

 less than when it is partial ; though, from this also, dogs do now 

 and then recover by active and judicious medical treatment. It is 

 to be remarked, however, that too often, although the general 

 health may be established, yet some weakness will remain in the 

 loins and extremities : but more particularly it may be regarded as 

 a rule, from which there are few deviations, that, when a dog has 

 once had rheumatism, he will be extremely liable to it again on the 

 access of cold. 



There is a singular variety of rheumatism that seems to be com- 

 bined with a spasmodic affection, which peculiarly affects the neck, 

 occasioning swelling, stiffness, and extreme tenderness of the part. 

 Sometimes also it affects, at the same time, one or both fore legs, 

 and is then called chest founder ; but even here the attack on 

 such distant parts appears to be more symptomatic than idiopathic, 

 for the bowels are always affected, and it happens invariably, that, 

 when they are relieved, the violence of the complaint is always mi- 

 tigated in the limbs or neck*. I have not found any one kind of 

 dog to be naturally more prone to rheumatic affections than an- 

 other, all seem alike subject to them ; but those become most so 

 that live most artificially, and such as are usually kept warm, but 

 become accidentally exposed to wet or cold. The spring produces 



* See a note on this subject appended to Spasmodic Colic, Class II. 



