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the food, tlie rubbing or j?riudiug surface of the horse's teeth should be 

 rough. Still we must remember that the upper jaw is somewhat wider 

 than the lower, and that from the fact of the teeth not being perfectly 

 apposed, a sharp ridge is left unworn on the inside of the lower molars 

 and on the outside of the upper, which may excoriate the tongue or 

 lips to a considerable extent. This condition can readily be felt by the 

 hand, and these sharp ridges when found should be rasped down by a 

 guarded rasp. Any one can do this without the aid of the veterina- 

 rian. In some instances the first or last molar tooth is unnaturally 

 long, owing to the absence of its fellow on the opposite jaw. Should 

 it be the last molar that is thus elongated it will require the aid of the 

 veterinary surgeon, who has the necessary forceps or chisel for cutting 

 it. The front molar may be rasped down, if much patience is taken. 

 In decay of the teeth it is quite common to find the tooth correspond- 

 ing to the decayed one on the opposite jaw very much elongated, 

 sometimes to that extent that the mouth can not be perfectly closed. 

 Such teeth must also be shortened by the bone forceps, chisel, bone- 

 saw, or rasp. In all instances where horses "quid" their food, where 

 they are slobbering, or where they evince pain in mastication, shown 

 by holding their head to one side while chewing, the teeth should be 

 carefully examined. If, as is mostly the case, all these symptoms are 

 referable to sharp corners or projections of the teeth, these must be re- 

 moved by the rasp. If decayed teeth are found, or other serious difii- 

 culty detected, an expert should be called. 



Toothache.— TM^ is rare in the horse and is mostly witnessed where 

 there is decay of a tooth. I have observed it only in the molar teeth. 

 Toothache is to be discovered in the horse by the pain expressed by 

 him while feeding or drinking cold water. I have seen horses affected 

 with toothache that would suddenly stop chewing, throw the head to one 

 side, and slightly open the mouth. They behave as though some sharp 

 body had punctured the mouth. If upon examination there is no for- 

 eign body found we must then carefully examine each tooth. If this 

 can not be done with the hand in the mouth we can, in most instances, 

 discover the aching tooth by pressing each tooth from without. The 

 horse will flinch when the sore tooth is pressed upon. In most cases 

 there is nothing to be done but the extraction of the decayed tooth, and 

 this, of course, is only to be attempted by the veterinarian. 



There is a deformity^ known as parrot-mouth, that interferes with pre- 

 hension, mastication, and, indirectly, with digestion. The upper incis- 

 ors project in front of and beyond the lower ones. The teeth of both 

 jaws become unusually long, as they are not worn down by friction. 

 Such horses experience much difficulty in grazing. Little can be done 

 except to occasionally examine the teeth, and if those of the lower jaw 

 become so long that they bruise the " bars" of the upper jaw, they must 

 be shortened by the rasp or saw. Horses with this deformity should 

 never be left entirely at pasture. 



