RURAL VETERINARY SECRETS 



DROPPING WADS OF HAY 



When a horse drops wads of hay while eating it is a sure sig-n 

 of broken or defective teeth. Usually he will salivate considerably 

 while eating, besides dropping the food. These conditions are most 

 common the season of the year when farm horses have a good ap- 

 petite and are eager to eat and unfortunately bite on a piece of metal 

 or stone in the oats or other grain, thereby splitting or breaking one 

 or more of the teeth. In most cases the broken piece does not come 

 off immediately, but remains on either side of the process, only to 

 cut the tongue or delicate membranes of the mouth ; or, if the tooth 

 is split in two, the food is pressed between the split surfaces, which 

 spreads the two pieces apart, thus causing the food to become lodged 

 there permanently and decompose. This causes an offensive smell 

 and is very painful to the animal, thus interfering with mastication 

 and bringing about the above mentioned conditions. 



TREATMENT 



Have the fractured particles of teeth removed and the teeth 

 floated. This usually affords immediate relief. It is good practice 

 to have a horse's mouth looked over once a year. They feel a tooth- 

 ache as keenly as you do, but cannot make their troubles known, nor 

 are they able to help themselves. Acute indigestion, colics, and gen- 

 eral unthriftiness are often the result of faulty teeth. 



DISEASES OF THE TEETH 



The stockman is seldom worried with TOOTH TROUBLES 

 in sheep, cattle, and pigs, and, unless well informed, is apt to think 

 horses are just as free. Such, however, is not the case. The slight- 

 est irregularity of the teeth will interfere more or less with chew- 

 ing and masticating the food, quite readily understood if a person is 

 famiHar with the arrangement of the teeth. NO HORSE IS EX- 

 EMPT. From colthood to old age the teeth are liable to need at- 

 tention. There are general symptoms, such as unthriftiness, (often 

 in spite of good and liberal feeding and little work) there is drib- 

 bling of saliva from the mouth, (ends of hay may be dropped from 

 the mouth, water is let fall out when drinking, the horse may crib 

 or windsuck, the feces may contain undigested feed) there may be 

 swelling of the jaw, a partial refusal of food, loss of flesh; the ani- 

 mal may pull on the bit or refuse to take hold at all, and there may 

 be swelling of the gums just behind the upper front teeth. If this 



