DENTITION FEVER. 353 



irritation. The animal will refuse to eat rather than suffer 

 the pain caused by masticating his food, the latter being 

 cudded and wasted to a great extent, the animal, perhaps 

 partaking only of a quantity barely sufficient to sustain life, 

 as a result of which he becomes greatly emaciated, until in 

 many cases he might fittingly be described as a walking 

 skeleton. A searching examination, however, reveals no sign 

 of disease. The pulse, both as to its character, and number 

 of beats, the temperature, etc., is found ^ to be normal, but 

 on passing the finger into the mouth the teeth are discovered 

 to be sharp and projecting on their sides, and on examining 

 closer the tongue and cheeks are seen to be sore and 

 lacerated. The mouth speculum may be necessary in some 

 cases when it is desired to make a thorough examination of 

 all the molars. The animal does not drive as kindly as 

 usual, being slow to answer the rein, and may while travel- 

 ling carry his head on one side, and is hard to keep straight 

 in the road, showing a tendency to gradually work over to 

 the right or left. 



Treatment. — The condition being discovered to exist, the 

 remedy is at once made apparent. It is evident that the 

 sharp projections must be removed before the animal can 

 obtain relief. The best instrument for this purpose is the 

 tooth-rasp. The teeth should be rasped until smooth, and 

 the animal fed for a day or two on soft food ; nothing more 

 is necessary. 



Abnormally Long or Projecting Teeth. — These are most 

 frequently seen in consequence of congenital malformation of 

 the jaws. It is a very common condition, and occurs most com- 

 monly in connection with the first molar tooth of the upper 

 jaw and the last molar tooth of the lower jaw. It constitutes 

 a more serious condition than the one previously described 

 under the head of Sharp and Projecting Teeth, and more 

 especially is this the case when the sixth molar of the lower 



