122 NATURAL HISTORY OF THE DOG. 



the empty air ; his fondness for his master increases, and 

 with it his propensity to lick the hands and face a filthy 

 practice at any time, and one most dangerous ; the appetite 

 becomes depraved, his natural food is neglected, and, at 

 the same time, every sort of filthy trash is greedily de- 

 voured ; eating Ms own excrement is an early symptom, and so 

 sure a one, that the moment a dog is seen doing so he should 

 be destroyed, or, at all events, carefully confined. 



Rubbing the paws against the sides of the mouth. If this 

 be done to remove a bone, the mouth will remain open ; but 

 when it takes place as the precursor of rabies, the jaws close 

 after the rubbing ceases. 



Soon follows an insatiable thirst; so insatiable that the 

 poor animal often plunges his whole muzzle into the water ; 

 and here you may observe spume left upon the surface. 

 Soon the dog falls or staggers, and sometimes, but not in- 

 variably, becomes delirious. Death speedily ensues. 



DUMB MADNESS 



Is chiefly characterized by stupidity, ana, at the same 

 time, restlessness of demeanor ; the tongue becomes of a 

 dark color, and much swollen ; the animal is also constantly 

 rubbing its jaws with its paws, as if seeking to remove a 

 bone from its throat ; and is in general unable to keep its 

 mouth shut, or the tongue within it. 



If a person be bitten by a dog supposed to be rabid, let the 

 bitten part be carefully excised, and liquid caustic copiously 

 applied to the wound thus formed. Rabies has been known 

 to supervene after seven months from the infliction of the 

 bite, having lain dormant in the system during that period. 

 Although horror at the sight of liquids is not present in this 

 disease when occurring in the dog, it is one of its strongest 

 characteristics when occurring in the human subject, and 

 the disease is then, with propriety, termed HYDROPHOBIA. 



CANKER IN THE EAR 



A disease to which all water-dogs are very subject, proba- 

 bly produced by a determination of blood to the head, result- 

 ing from that part not sharing in the general immersion. The 

 .reatment should, therefore, commence with keeping the affect- 

 ed dogs from water. The earliest symptoms are, shaking the 

 head, holding it to one side, and violent scratching of the car* 



