264 NAVIX ox THE HOESE. 



AFFECTIONS OF THE TEETH. 



Theke is no particular disease of the teeth with which I 

 have ever met, though I have often read of such. All the 

 difficulties of importance with the teeth are the result of acci- 

 dent, irregular growth, or from the front grinders wearing out. 



Wearing by the Bit. — When a horse is very old, and has 

 been much used through life with the headstall of his bridle 

 too short, causing the bit to rest on the front grinders, or if he 

 has been in the habit of champing the bit, the teeth may be- 

 come worn down to the forked roots, or prongs, and these 

 spreading apart, will leave a space between them, into which 

 the hay or grass gets so firmly packed that the horse can not 

 get it out. This will keep the teeth apart and stop the pro- 

 cess of grinding, and the horse will die of starvation, or from 

 bolting or swallowing his food unground. Among those I 

 have examined was an old huntress, belonging to my father. 

 She was just twenty-six years old when she died. She lin- 

 gered a whole summer. I was away studying when she com- 

 menced to decline, but happened to be at home when she died. 

 On examination I found the teeth worn down so that all the 

 prongs stood apart, and the space between them so tightly 

 filled with grass that they met above and below, keeping 

 the teeth entirely apart. Since then I have seen several, and 

 relieved them. 



Treatme7it. — As prevention is always better than cure, never 

 rein the horse up so as to wear his teeth out in this way. 

 But when the difficulty has occurred, which may be sus- 

 pected if an old horse commences to decline without any other 

 a]3parent cause, the only remedy is to extract, or pull out, the^ 

 teeth or roots causing the mischief. This may be done with 

 a common turnkey, made for the purpose, like those used by 

 tooth-pullers, or with a strong pair, like dentist's forceps, made 

 for the purpose. 



