AILMENTS AND THEIR REMEDIES. 115 



each being one dose : (1) Linseed oil, 8 ounces ; lime water, 2 ounces. 

 Or (2) Epsom salts, 8 ounces ; thin gruel, 1 quart. Or (3) Pulverized 

 aloes, 4 drachms ; mucilage of slippery elm, 1 pint. Or (4) Com- 

 mon salt, 6 ounces ; warm water 1 pint. The last (4) is also admin- 

 istered in the form of frequent injections, but fatal superpurgation 

 must be guarded against. External applications are made to the 

 belly, of flannel bandages wrung out of hot water. Dry sheets are 

 bound over these to check evaporation. An infusion of hops is 

 given when great pain is manifested. To make this, pour a quart of 

 hot water over two ounces of hops, let it stand until cool, then 

 strain and sweeten with honey. 



THE MOUTH AND TEETH. 



There is more suffering by horses from deformed, irregular and 

 carious teeth than is generally suspected. Misshapen or irregular 

 teeth interfere with mastication, and lead to loss of condition, and 

 even more serious results. One or more of the front teeth some- 

 times become broken or loosened. In the latter case there should be 

 prompt removal. The grinders sometimes grow irregularly, lacera- 

 ting the tongue or cheek, and the horse unable to masticate its food, 

 rolls it around in the mouth, and rejects it. This is called "quid- 

 ding." The teeth should be carefully examined and all irregulari- 

 ties removed by a tooth-rasp. The so called " wolf -teeth " or "buck- 

 teeth," about which there are so many superstitious notions, are sim- 

 ply supernumerary teeth, which should be removed carefully with 

 forceps, and not crueUy knocked out with hammer and chisel, at the 

 great risk of breaking the jaw. Decayed teeth are the often unsus- 

 pected cause of much suffering and poor condition. A horse with a 

 carious molar feels the pangs of toothache as keenly as a human be- 

 ing can. An unsound tooth gradually breaks away and the oppos- 

 ing sound tooth grows rapidly to fill the vacancy. The first should 

 be promptly removed by forceps made for the purpose, and the 

 second cut down to its normal size. Horse dentistry has become an 

 important profession in the larger cities, and its practice requires 

 skill and experience. Every horse-keeper should know enough 

 about his horse's teeth to detect the need of professional inter- 

 ference. But avoid quack " hoss dentists." 



" Lamp AS." — Horses are subject during dentition, and from other 

 causes, to swelling and inflammation in the lining membrane of the 

 mouth. The suffering animal gets off his feed, and the ignorant 

 attendant pronounces it a case of " lampas." Some village " horse 

 doctor " or blacksmith is called in to operate, or the owner may do 



