350 THE HORSE 



fractured, and are apt to split from the crown to the fang, 

 and if such an accident is discovered the tooth should be at 

 once removed. Otherwise food will get into the fissures, 

 and when fermenting may bring on inflammation of the 

 gums, possibly affecting the surrounding bone also. If the 

 tooth is extracted a watch must be kept that the opposing 

 tooth does not in consequence grow too long. 



Often the crowns of the milk teeth are not duly shed 

 though the fangs have been absorbed, and they should be at 

 once taken out with a forceps, which is an easy matter as 

 their attachment is but slight. If allowed to remain the 

 space is too crowded, with the advent of the permanent teeth, 

 and food accumulates, ferments, and gives rise to foul 

 breath and irritation of the gums, and consequently quid- 

 ding. Sometimes supernumerary teeth make their appear- 



PLATE XII. 



ance, which should be promptly removed, as they interfere 

 with the movements of the tongue when rolling the food 

 across the mouth, or prevent the lateral movement of the 

 jaw. There is usually little difficulty in extracting them, 

 since the fangs are generally imperfectly developed. Only 

 this spring the writer had one removed from under the 

 tongue of a thoroughbred mare (Plate XII.), which was so 

 thoroughly hidden that its presence had never been suspected. 

 The mare had been very shy of her bit during the short time 

 she had been ridden, always carrying her head as high as 

 she could get it, and tossing it the moment the bit was 

 touched, but as soon as the offending tooth had been dis- 

 covered, and removed, she no longer resented the bit, and 

 carried her head in the proper position. 



Sometimes two little teeth make their appearance adjoin- 



