RABIES IN THE DOG.— SYMPTOMS. 
395 
The history that is given of the affair will, however, generally be 
a sufficient guide. Is it a thing of yesterday, or has the dog been 
subject to canker, increasing upon him for a considerable time? 
Canker, both internal and external, is a disease of slow growth. 
It is characterized at first by an occasional shake of the head ; 
but it must have been neglected during many a day or many 
a week ere it will torment the poor patient in the manner which 
I have described. The question as to the length of time that 
the dog has thus suffered, will usually be a sufficient guide. The 
mode in which the animal expresses his torture will serve as 
another direction. He will often scratch violently enough under 
canker, but I never saw him roll over and over like a football, 
and still keep scratching on, except he was rabid. 
Caution . — Examination of the ear — would not that decide the 
question ? Most certainly. You would expect to find, and would 
certainly find, very considerable inflammation of the lining mem- 
brane of the ear, engorgement of it, and probably ulceration, if 
all this pain arose from canker. You would most assuredly find 
very considerable deposition, of the colour of port-wine lees, with- 
in the conch, if you found nothing worse. If there is only a slight 
redness of the membrane, or no redness at all, you would natu- 
rally and rightly attribute the pain to that recrudescence of the 
wound which takes place when rabies is beginning to develop 
itself. The case, however, will generally speak for itself without 
actual examination of the ear, of which you should be very cau- 
tious. The owner will tell you, that there is no danger — that his 
is the quietest dog alive. From one of those quietest dogs I re- 
ceived the severest bite I ever had, and that which disquieted 
me most of any, for I could not be assured that I had penetrated 
to the bottom of the wound. I was convinced, in my own mind, 
that the dog was rabid, and said that he was; but I foolishly 
yielded to the importunity of the owner, and endeavoured to ex- 
amine the ear, and was very properly punished with a bite on the 
wrist. If all this piece of work about the ear is not of more than 
eight and forty hours’ date, and the dog attacks it in the outra- 
geous manner I have described, say at once that he is rabid. 
You will be right ninety-nine times out of a hundred. 
Licking . — The early stage of rabies is one of very great irritabi- 
lity and fever : the muzzle is dry and hot, and the mouth is also 
hot. It is perhaps on account of the pleasant coolness which is 
communicated to the mouth, that the rabid dog, in the first stages 
of the disease, is so fond of licking every smooth thing within its 
reach. The fire-irons, the fender, are favourite objects. The 
kennel, if it has been freshly painted, or is smooth and clean, sel- 
dom escapes a thorough scouring. 
