16 DISEASES OF CATTLE. 



Treatment. — If salivation depends on the irritation and inflamma- 

 tion set up by the ingestion of acrid plants, or forage possessing some 

 peculiar stimulating property, the feed must be changed, and a lotion 

 composed of an ounce of powdered alum dissolved in a quart of water 

 may be syringed into the mouth twice a day, using half a pint of the 

 solution each time. If, however, the salivation is due to the presence 

 of a thorn, splinter of wood, or any other foreign substance em- 

 bedded in the cheek or tongue, the offending object should be re- 

 moved and the mouth washed occasionally w^ith a weak solution (2 

 per cent) of carbolic acid and tepid water. When salivation is pro- 

 duced by mercurial poisoning or by foot-and-mouth disease, the 

 treatment appropriate to those general conditions of the system, as 

 well as the local treatment should be api^lied. (For information 

 about foot-and-mouth disease see p. 383.) 



IRREGULARITIES OF THE TEETH. 



Irregularities of the teeth may be occasioned by the unequal wear- 

 ing of some of the teeth or by some of the incisors being broken, which 

 may happen when cattle are pastured on sandy or gravelly soil. The 

 molar teeth may also show irregular Avear from similar causes, or 

 from a disease or malformation of the jaw. Their edges may become 

 sharp, or it may happen that a molar tooth has been accidentally 

 fractured. It may also occur that a supernumerary tooth has devel- 

 oped in an unusual position, and that it interferes with the natural 

 and regular mastication of the feed. 



Treatment. — The mouth vlvaj be examined by grasping the animal's 

 tongue with one hand and partially withdrawing it from the mouth, 

 so as to expose the incisor and molar teeth to inspection. "When it 

 is desired, however, to examine the molar teeth with the fingers, so as 

 to obtain a better idea of their condition, an instrument like the 

 balling iron which is used for the horse should be introduced into 

 the mouth, so as to separate the jaws and kepp them apart while the 

 examination is being made. Any sharp edges of the molars must be 

 removed by the tooth rasp, such as is used for horses. Any super- 

 numerary tooth which interferes with mastication or any tooth which 

 is fractured or loose should be extracted. In performing such opera- 

 tions it is desirable to throw, or cast, the animal, and to have its 

 head held securely, so as to enable the operator to do what is neces- 

 sary without difficulty. 



CARIES OR DECAY OF THE TEETH. 



The presence of caries may be suspected if the mouth exhales a bad 

 odor and if the animal during mastication occasionally stops as if it 

 ■were in pain. The existence of caries in a molar tooth may be ascer- 

 tained by examining the mouth in the manner already described. If 



