Dogs are regarded as faithful animals, and were probably among the first animal to be domesticated by an. But if it goes mad, is becomes very dangerous. A person who is bitten by a mad dog may die if not treated promptly and properly.
Why does a dog go mad?
A dog goes mad when it suffers from a disease called rabies. This disease is caused by a virus which is carried in air or by some wild animals and enters the dogs’ body through a wound or a cut in its skin. The virus is bullet shaped having a diameter of about 70 mill microns and a length of about 210 mill microns.
A Mad Dog
When an infected animal bites a dog the virus contained in the saliva enters the wounds and travels through sensory nerves to the central nervous system. It multiplies there and then begins to destroy the brain cells. The dog becomes lazy, suffers from fever and loses interest in food. In about 4 to 6 weeks when these viruses affect the dogs brain the dog growls barks and saliva froths from its mouth. During this period the dog can bite anybody. This is the stage when the dog is said to be mad. It is likely to appear. Some infected dogs do not go mad but show signs of paralysis a disease called ‘dumb rabies’.
When a mad dog bites a man the virus present in its saliva enters the man body through the wound. Initially the victim experiences mental weakness and uneasiness which is followed by fever. He suffers from lack of sleep and feels frightened. The muscles in his throat get slackened and he faces difficulties in swallowing food or liquid. He is afraid of water being infected by a disease called hydrophobia which means ‘fear of water’.
These signs appear in the victim within one to three months after the mad dog bite. In all cases of dog-bite the affected portion should be immediately cleaned and anti-rabies injection should be given to the victim within three days of the bite the number of injections can vary from 3 to 14 depending on the location and number of bites.
The virus of rabies also attacks foxes, jackals, monkeys, bats, cats and rats, Louis pastor introduced the treatment for rabies in 1888. Pasture institute of France
