Text book of veterinary medicine, Volume 4 (of 5)Law, James
Science
Text book of veterinary medicine, Volume 4 (of 5)
Law, James
Veterinary medicine
Cases in which paralysis is not preceded by a furious stage are not
uncommon in horses.
_Symptoms in Cattle._ Cattle are frequent victims of rabies, which
assumes mostly the furious type, yet in certain outbreaks the paralytic
or lethargic form predominates. There is first a strange irritability
and restlessness, very unlike the habitual quiet disposition of the
animal. The head is raised, the ears alert, the eyes prominent, red,
fixed, with occasionally widely dilated pupils and brilliant flashes
from the tapetum lucidum. Sometimes they roll or squint. They may appear
wild and ferocious or dull and hopeless. Loud and terrified bellowing is
not uncommon, switching of the tail, drivelling of saliva, and
exceptionally there are attempts to bite. More commonly the natural
weapons of offense are employed, the animal kicks, stamps, paws and,
above all, tries to gore man or beast, but especially any dog which may
appear. They even make such attacks on purely imaginary beings and
without any real, tangible enemy present. The bull, cow or heifer
present the usual signs of genital orgasm. Appetite is lost or depraved
and rumination arrested. Pharyngeal spasms or paralysis is not uncommon,
and signs of colic with frequent defecation may be seen. Violent
paroxysms are easily roused by the sight of a small animal and
especially of a dog. In these attacks the animal may break his horns or
teeth or otherwise injure himself. Sometimes the infection wound becomes
irritable, itchy and red or even abraded and raw by licking.
The animal becomes rapidly exhausted and even emaciated by the violence
of the paroxysms, and paresis sets in with dragging movements of the
hind limbs, which advance to paraplegia and general paralysis. Rolling
of the eyes, squinting and pupillar dilatation may be present. Death
usually takes place from the fourth to the sixth day.
The purely _paralytic rabies_ is not uncommon in cattle. There may be
persistent yawning or other sign of nervous exhaustion or depression,
halting on one or more limbs, usually behind, which advances to complete
paralysis. In other cases the symptoms are those of mental dulness, and
profound lethargy with gradually advancing emaciation. In paretic and
paralytic cases the characteristic paroxysms on presentation of a dog
may be absent.
Ladague claims to have seen intermittent cases with an interval of 27
and even 36 days.
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