i6i 



weeks, so that when the dog is four and a half to five months old the 

 dental process should be completed, i.e., in the large breeds, but the 

 small types — such as toy dogs, &c. — take several weeks longer. 

 According to recent teaching, the three first molar or temporary teeth, 

 and those that replace them (on each side, above and below), in the 

 horse, cow, and sheep, are called pre molars, while the pig and dog 

 have each four more (one on each side, above and below), called 

 anterior pre molars, and situated close behind the tusks. 



376. Dental Derangement. — As a rule, puppies rarely show any 

 inconvenience when getting their milk teeth, but in casting the 

 temporary and getting the permanent teeth they sometimes suffer from 

 diarrhoea, fits, &c. Occasionally the roots of the temporary teeth are 

 pressed to one side by the permanents, when they become attached to 

 the bony processes of the jaw, and cause inconvenience and trouble ; 

 in such cases they must be removed. The tusks seem more liable to 

 this than the other teeth. The teeth of the dog are, at times, broken 

 by the animal chewing hard substances, such as stones, &c. ; and in 

 such cases the sharp edges must either be filed or cut off. Tartar also 

 occasionally accumulates round the tooth, just above the gum, and 

 v\^hen this gets to be troublesome it must be scraped off. Any 

 diseased teeth that may be observed, when interfering with the feeding 

 of the dog, should be removed. 



