DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 59 



it will require the aid of the veterinary surgeon, who has the neces- 

 sary 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 corresponding to the decayed one on the 

 opposite jaw very much elongated, sometimes to such an extent that 

 the mouth can not be perfectly closed. Such teeth must also be 

 shortened by the tooth forceps, chisel, tooth saw, or rasp. In all 

 instances in which horses " quid " their feed, if they are slobbering, 

 or evince pain in mastication, shown by holding the head to one side 

 Avhile chewing, the teeth should be carefully examined. Horses whose 

 teeth have unduly sharp edges are liable to drive badly; they pull 

 to one side, do not bear on the bit, or bear on too hard and " big," toss 

 the head, and start suddenly when a tender spot is touched. If, as 

 IS mostly the case, all the symptoms are referable to sharp corners or 

 projections, these must be removed by the rasp. If decayed teeth 

 nre found, or other serious difficulty detected, or if the cause of the 

 unnoying symptoms is not discovered, an expert should be called. 



Toothache. — This is rare in the horse and is mostly witnessed when 

 there is decay of a tooth or inflammation about its root. 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 no 

 foreign body is 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. By tapping the teeth in succession with a hard object, such 

 as a small hammer, the one that is tender may be identified. The 

 horse will flinch when the sore tooth is pressed or tapped upon. In 

 most cases there is nothing to be done but extract the decayed tooth, 

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



Deformity. — There is a deformity, known as parrot-mouth, that 

 interferes with prehension, mastication, and, indirectly, with diges- 

 tion. The upper incisors 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 examine the teeth occasionally, 

 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. 



The method of determining the age of a horse by the teeth is illus- 

 trated in Plate IV. 



