250 VETERINARY LECTURES 



367. Teething in cattle on many occasions causes a great 



deal of constitutional disturbance, more particularly at from one 



year and nine months to two years and six months old, through the 



temporary premolars not being cast off, when teething fever, and 



in many cases fatal diarrhoea, is set up. Young animals, when 



suffering from the retention of the crowns or shells, have tucked-up 



bellies, flat ribs, tight hides, dirty skins, eyes gummy and congested, 



with a mucous discharge — have, in fact, all the appearance of 



piners. They feed very badly, and chew their cud in a very lazy 



and listless fashion, have exhaustive diarrhoea, and drink large 



quantities of water. I have frequently found the shells sticking fast 



between the cheek and the gums, in both upper and under jaws. 



Of course, any foreign substance, or anything wrong in the mouth, 



generally causes a large flow of saliva. In such cases the mouth should 



be examined, and the offending object removed if possible. I have 



also come across split molar teeth, with the fractured piece sticking in 



the tongue. Cattle rarely suffer from diseased teeth, but occasionally 



in aged animals the gums of alveolar processes become atrophied 



or wasted away, when the molar teeth can be readily removed 



with the fingers ; such wasting away also arises from the diseases 



osteo-sarcoma and actinomycosis, etc. {pars. 78 and 234). In all 



cases where the emaciation is great I order good food, milk, linseed 



jelly, crushed oats, linseed cake, and bran, with a little salt, and 



give alkaline vegetable tonics, followed up with preparations of iron 



{far. 1073, No. IV.). 



368. As a rule, I examine the teeth of a large number of stirks 

 in spring and in autumn, and, where necessary, I remove the crowns 

 with the forceps {Plate XXXIII., No. 1). 



SHEEP. 



369. The dentition of the sheep resembles that of the cow as to 

 the number of teeth and their position. There are six incisors and two 

 canine on the lower jaw only ; the upper jaw in front has, like the 

 cow, a dense elastic pad. The molars are twenty-four in number 

 I premolars, § molars {i.e., six on each side, above and below). 



