tolSBASES OP THB DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 5 1 



out my pocket-knife and made crucial incisions through them both, 

 down to the coming teeth, from which moment the horse recovered his 

 appetite and by degrees his wonted condition. ' ' 



Irregular Teeth, In large cities there is a class of ' 'veterinary 

 dentists' ' and it is a fashion to call these humbugs and have the teeth 

 regularly "floated" or "rasped." In some instances rasping is benefi- 

 cial, but in most cases it is entirely unnecessary. The rubbing or grind- 

 ing surface of the horse's teeth should be rough, hence rasping them 

 down flat and even is injurious, Remember that the upper jaw is a 

 little wider than the lower and hence the teeth do not fit exactly one 

 over the other and after a sharp ridge is left unworn on the inside of the 

 lower molars and the outside of the upper molars, it may excoriate, 

 (lacerate or cut) the tongue or lips. This condition can readily be felt 

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

 guarded rasp. Any one can do this without the aid of a veterinarian. 

 In some instances the first or last molar tooth is unnaturally long, owing 

 to the absence of its fellow on the other jaw opposite. If this is the 

 case, call a veterinarian who has the necessary forceps or chisel for 

 cutting it. 



Decayed Teeth. When a tooth is decayed it is quite common to 

 find the tooth, corresponding to the decayed one, on the opposite jaw 

 very much lengthened, sometimes so much that the mouth can not be 

 perfectly closed. Such teeth also need a veterinarian with proper tools. 

 In all cases where horses ' 'quid' ' their food, or where they are slobber- 

 ing, or show pain when chewing their hay or grain, which is shown by 

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

 examined. If as in most cases these symptoms are due to sharp corners, 

 or edges these must be removed by the rasp. If decayed teeth are 

 found or any other serious difficulty call an expert. 



Toothache. This is very rare in the horse, and usually is caused 

 by a decayed tooth. It is only found in the molar teeth. The horse 

 will show pain while drinking cold water, or while eating. They will 

 sometimes suddenly stop chewing, throwing the head to one side, and 

 slightly open mouth. They act as if some sharp body had punctured 

 the mouth. If these symptoms appear, examine the horse for some for- 

 eign body, and if not found carefully examine each tooth. If you are 

 not able to do this with the hand in the mouth, you can in most in- 

 stances discover the aching tooth by pressure from the outside. The 

 horse will flinch when the sore tooth is pressed upon. 



