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
_Symptoms in Swine._ Rabid pigs are usually very restless, excitable and
sensitive to all causes of disturbance. They will hide under the litter
in the darkest corner but soon start without apparent cause, turn around
and lie down again, or they bound up with grunt or scream and rush off
as if pursued, push or leap against the wall, stand with ears pricked as
if listening, and start violently at any noise or a flash from a
lantern, trembling, squealing, or having muscular jerking. The eyes are
at times fixed, or may roll, squint or flash from pupillary dilatation.
The voice is hoarse, deglutition difficult, there is frequent clenching
of the jaws, or grinding of the teeth, and frothing around the mouth.
The victim may tear with his teeth the boards of his pen, or gnaw pieces
of wood, he may swallow wood, pebbles or earth, and plunge his face in
water or other liquid without fear or apparent dread or dislike. The
disposition to bite may be viciously shown, and he may strike
dangerously with his tusks, while in other cases it may be entirely
absent. Peuch quotes cases in which no paroxysm was aroused by the sight
of a dog, and others in which the pig would rise and grunt without
showing any desire to bite.
Sows will sometimes bite or devour their offspring during a paroxysm,
yet nurse and care for the survivors during the intervals.
Emaciation, weakness, exhaustion, lethargy and paralysis appear early,
the victim remains down, or, if raised, moves weakly and unsteadily and
no longer pays attention to noises nor blows. Death may ensue from the
first to the sixth day.
_Symptoms in Rabbits._ Experimental cases in rabbits are now very common
and usually assume the paralytic or lethargic type, there is weakness in
the hind parts, advancing in a few hours to paraplegia, the fore limbs
may be used for a time while the hind are flaccid and dragged behind, or
the animal lies on the sternum and belly with the head sunken and
resting on the feet, or he lies extended on his side, in a state of
insensibility. In the early stages he may still masticate, with froth
collecting on the lips, but there is difficulty in swallowing. If a foot
is pinched it is drawn up often with a cry. The bowels are torpid though
a few small, round, hard pellets are sometimes passed or a little urine.
Incubation is shorter than in the dog, and the virus retains this habit
when inoculated on other animals.
In the experimental cases in the Anti-rabic Institute in St. Petersburg,
Helman found that the rabbits inoculated with virus from dogs having
furious rabies, contracted furious rabies, while those inoculated from
the less furious type of street rabies had the disease in the dumb form.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account