35 G THE PRACTICE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 



ment is usually observable externally in consequence of the 

 irritation extending to, and causing swelling of, the soft 

 tissues immediately over the region of the diseased tooth. 

 Pressure upon or tapping this enlargement will usually give 

 rise to some manifestation of pain, and on passing the hand 

 into the mouth and carefully examining each tooth by 

 pressing and tapping upon it, when the affected tooth is 

 reached, the animal will usually evince more or less pain ; 

 but in a short while other and plainer symptoms become 

 apparent : the bone and soft tissues in the neighbourhood of 

 the diseased tooth become affected, and give rise to a dis- 

 charge which renders the breath of the animal horribly 

 offensive, the odour of a carious tooth being much worse 

 than that of any other carious bone. The discharge takes 

 place into the mouth when the affected tooth is one of the 

 lower jaw, there being no nasal discharge except when the 

 tooth affected is situated in the upper jaw j in such a case 

 there is always a nasal discharge more or less profuse in 

 quantity, and possessed of a very offensive odour. When 

 the fang of the tooth is the portion affected, the tooth sinks 

 in its socket, and on examination its table surface is found 

 to be much lower than the table surfaces of the other 

 teeth, and it may be loose in its socket and easily moved 

 about with the finger and thumb, but still a strong pull 

 with the forceps will usually be required to remove it. A 

 carious tooth will often give rise to nasal gleet, the animal 

 loses flesh, becomes dull and dejected, and suffers greatly 

 from toothache. The nasal discharge may be from one 

 nostril only; the submaxillary glands may be aflfected to a 

 certain extent ; such symptoms might lead the practitioner 

 into the mistake of supj^osing it a case of glanders, and 

 many an animal with nothing more serious than a carious 

 tooth has been destroyed under the impression that it was 

 a case of glanders. Occasionally when_| the diseased tooth 



