ANIMAL DENTISTRY 239 



ping." It is hard at the temperature of the body but readily 

 becomes pliable with heat. 



Modus Operandi — Soften a liberal amount of the filling 

 in hot water and roll it into an egg-shaped mass, larger than 

 the cavity to be filled ; then, with the aid of a speculum to 

 open the mouth, force the mass into the cavity to mold it 

 to the proper shape and dimensions. Then remove it and 

 trim of¥ the superfluous portion, re-heat and re-adjust to the 

 cavity, leaving its exposed end beneath the table level of 

 the arcade. 



The gutta percha plugs should reach beyond the alveolar 

 margin, but not to the bottom of the alveolar cavity, and 

 to prevent disturbance from mastication the opposing crown 

 should be removed with the claw-cutter. (Fig. loo.) 



When applied as temporary filling it should be removed 

 after five or six days to clean the cavity of accumulated 

 secretions, and then be readjusted for one week more, at 

 which time a tooth cavity is usually safely filled. 



CRIBBING AND WIND-SUCKING. 



Definition — Cribbing and wind-sucking are identical, the 

 latter being an aggravated form of the former. Cribbing 

 may be defined as a pertinacious habit of the horse, charac- 

 terized by attempts to ingest air, while wind-sucking may be 

 defined as the same habit in which the attempt is successful. 



Etiology — The actual cause of cribbing is yet to be satis- 

 factorily demonstrated. Idleness and the empty manger are 

 circumstances generally accepted as favoring the acquire- 

 ment of the habit. Nervousness, gastric indigestion and ob- 

 scure neuroses, are also mentioned among the possible etio- 

 logical factors. These assertions are based only upon specu- 

 lation, and are doubted most by those who have had the 

 widest range of observation. It may, however, be safely 



