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.
Symptoms in Sheep and Goat. In these there is the same regular succession of symptoms through intense hyperæsthesia and excitability, fury and genital excitement to the terminal paralysis, or the palsy may set in early without premonitory violence. Among the marked features have been noticed, a change of expression, the pupils dilate, eyes flash, they lick or mount their fellows, they lick or rub the bitten part, snort, stamp or scrape with the fore feet, setting themselves in the attitude of attack, they may butt other sheep, fowls, and other animals, above all dogs, or they may deliver the attack in the air only, at some phantom enemy. They may bleat hoarsely or brokenly, grind the teeth, or work the jaws with the formation of froth about the lips. Galtier says they may even attempt to bite. Sooner or later weakness of the limbs, muscular incoördination, swaying and staggering bespeak enervation, the sheep lies constantly, and if raised stands with unsteady semi-flexed limbs, has trembling or convulsions and dies paralytic in from two to five days. Death has been delayed till the twelfth day (goat) or thirteenth (sheep). In some cases paralysis has been present from the start, the subject lying prostrate from the first.
Rabies in the Camel and Deer. In Algiers camels are often times bitten by rabid dogs and contract the disease showing both furious and paralytic symptoms. They are especially dangerous because of their propensity to bite, and to scatter the virulent product by sneezing.
In England rabies has prevailed extensively in parks of deer, which shut inside high walls have been bitten remorselessly by rabid dogs that had gained admittance. The symptoms of hyperæsthesia and paralysis followed the same general course as in other animals.
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.