DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 133 



DISEASE OF THE MEMBRANES OF THE TEETH. 



The membrane sun-ounding the fang or that lining the pulp 

 cavity may become the seat of disease. There may be loosen- 

 ing, suppuration or shedding of the tooth, deviation from its 

 true direction so that the outer edge of the upper grinder or 

 the inner edge of the lower may get overgrown and injurious, 

 or a hard deposit may fill up the pulp cavity, or surround the 

 fang, wedging it into its socket and setting up disease and 

 swelling of the adjacent jaw-bone. These conditions may 

 often be relieved in the early stages by soft feeding, protection 

 from cold, lancing the gums, a dose of physic, and daily 

 sponging of the gums with tincture of myrrh. 



DENTINAL TUMOURS. 



These occur from the action of any irritant applied to the 

 tooth ivory. Some years ago I removed a large mass of this 

 kind attached to the second upper temporary grinder of a 

 horse. It is usually necessary to remove the teeth from which 

 they grow. 



TAIiTAR ON TEETH, 



This is common in dogs, and may be removed by a wooden 

 probe with a small pledget of tow dipped in water rendered 

 slightly acid with spirit of salt. 



DENTITION FEVER. 



Considerable irritation and fever often attend on the cuttin" 

 of the teeth in animals. Horses are most liable to suffer in the 

 third year when they cut four front teeth and eight back ones, 

 and in the fourth year when they cut four front, eight back, 

 and four tushes. Cattle suffer less and mainly from the second 

 to the third year. One of the first grinders which come up at 

 this period is sometimes entangled with the crown of its pre- 



