IKJUKIES. 181 



with strong sewing silk, using a small, sharp, crooked 

 needle. In a week or so, or as soon as the parts cohere, 

 or when pus oozes out, cut and withdraw the stitches. 

 After this it is important to secure the horse with double 

 straps, otherwise, owing to the irritation of the eye, it 

 will rub against the stall and dissever the parts. 



INJURIES TO MOUTH, TONGUE, JAWS. 



The tongue may be injured in various ways. It may 

 be bitten accidentally by the horse itself, also, when pro- 

 truded, by another horse; by sharp projections of the 

 teeth, rough or careless usage, &c. Stitch the parts to- 

 gether whenever necessary and practicable, cleanse the 

 wound if necessary, and leave the healing to nature. 



The branches of the lower jaw are common seats of 

 fracture, a frequent cause of which is the use of sharp • 

 curved bits, but rough usage will sometimes cause frac- 

 tures even with a smooth bit. The horse loses its appe- 

 tite and is unfit for work. The fractured bone must be 

 removed, but it is often better to wait a week or ten days 

 that nature may loosen the parts. Fractures are often the 

 result of external violence. A severe blow in the region 

 of the roots of the teeth may cause a fracture that will 

 necessitate the removal of both bone and teeth. 



The jaw is also subject to injury from violence with 

 the curb-rein. The outside gum is squeezed by the crub. 

 An abscess forms within the bone, and there is usually 

 sooner or later bone to be removed. Keep the wound 

 open and encourage the discharge. A scruple of hydro- 

 chloric acid in an ounce of water is a good dressing. If 

 the horse must be worked, use a snaffle. 



The outside of the lips and cheeks are sometimes severely 

 cut by sharp and twisted snaffles, the inside of the cheek 

 by sharp projections of the molar teeth. The only rem- 

 edy for the latter is to file the projections down, but not 

 so as to destroy the natural slant of the grinding surface, 



