40 



DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE APPARATUS 



out the cavity with the dental cutter then disinfect the cavity by means 

 of a plug of cotton soaked in creosote, and washed out with alcohol or 

 ether and plugging it with amalgam, cement or gutta-percha. Hobday 

 has described a case where an artificial tooth has been bridged between 

 two teeth. In the United States this bridge-work and filling is done 

 frequently. 



Dentition. — Newly born puppies do not have any teeth through the 

 gums. The first or temporary incisors appear a])out the third or fourth 

 week and the first permanent teeth appear about the fifth month. The 

 temporary canines appear about the fourth or fifth week after the tempo- 

 rary incisors are all in. The permanent teeth begin to come through 

 about the third or fourth month; the lateral and middle incisors 

 appear about the end of five months, and at the same time the second, 



Fig. 20. — Tumors of the gums. 



third, and fouth molars, the fifth molar about five months, the sixth 

 about six months, and finally the seventh about the end of the seventh 

 month, so that the dog has his full masticatory apparatus at the end of 

 seven months. 



Change from the normal rotation of temporary to permanent teeth 

 varies; sometimes the permanent teeth will come through the gums and 

 push the temporary teeth to one side, but the latter remain in the jaw. 

 This is particularly noticeable in the very small breeds. This is gen- 

 erally avoided by pulling out the temporary incisors as soon as possible. 

 Very frec;[uently this allows the permanent teeth to come through the 

 gums at once and assume their normal position. This irregularity is 

 particularly noticeable when the animals are affected with some acute 

 infectious disease, such as distemper. 



During the process of teething, the gums become very red and in- 

 flamed, and there is an increased amount of saliva; in some cases the in- 

 flammation is intense, with complete loss of appetite. Convulsions may 



