Your Dog and Your Cat 



purpose solutions of permanganate of potash or 

 boric acid are best. 



Toothache. — ^There is no reason to believe that 

 dogs do not suffer from toothache as well as man, 

 since the same pathological conditions are found in 

 both. Of course, the nervous mechanism of the 

 dog is not so acute as man's, nevertheless, pain in 

 many cases can be demonstrated. A painful tooth 

 can be detected by tapping it gently with a metal 

 object; this causes a sharp throb of the jaw. The 

 cause of toothache is decay of the tooth, decay of 

 the tissue around it, or abscess formation at the 

 base of the root. 



Decayed and Loose Teeth.— The teeth of the dog 

 are not so subject to decay as are the pockets in 

 which they are imbedded. However, in cases where 

 the tooth is broken, laying bare the sensitive struc- 

 tures to the influence of infection and food, the 

 tooth will commence to decay. Inflammation of 

 the lining of the pockets in which the teeth are 

 placed comes about through receding of the gums, 

 due to tartar formation. As the condition pro- 

 gresses the teeth loosen and finally fall out. Ab- 

 scesses may form at the base of the foot, causing 

 the inflammation to start at that end. These ab- 

 scesses often break through the jaw, causing fistula. 

 In this condition surgical intervention is necessary 

 and the sooner it is applied the fewer teeth will be 

 lost. In toy spaniels, especially, the front teeth 



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