MALFOBMATIONS OF THE CAVITY OF THE MOUTH. 47 



with warm water and the gums pressed firmly together, so as to 

 keep the cavity, if possible, from filling up with a blood-clot. 

 This should be done immediately after extraction. 



Dentition. 



The first incisors and the eye-teeth (oaninea), and the second, 

 third, and fourth molars appear in the dog at the end of five 

 weeks. The permanent teeth begin to come through about the 

 third or fourth month; the canine and middle incisors come 

 through about the fourth month; the remaining incisors about 

 the end of five months, and also the second, third, and fourth 

 molars; the fifth molar about five months, the sixth about six 

 months, and finally the seventh about the end of the seventh 

 month, so that the dog has his full masticatory apparatus at the 

 end of seven months. 



During the process of teething the gums become very red and 

 inflamed, with an increased amount of saliva; in some cases the 

 inflammation is intense, with complete loss of appetite. Convul- 

 sions may occur from reflex nervous irritation. This nervous irri- 

 tation may produce a cramp of the lower jaw that is very similar 

 to the paralysis of the jaw in rabies. 



These cases are best treated by simple sedatives, and if the gums 

 seem to be tough, they should be lanced with an ordinary gum- 

 lancet, and thus assist the tooth through to the surface. 



Malformations of the Cavity of the Mouth. 



Malformations or growths on the buccal membrane are frequently 

 seen in the dog, especially located about the edge of the gums and 

 on the inner cheeJj. They are generally classed as "epulides." 

 They are of various sizes, from the size of a pin-head to a walnut. 

 They are generally pedunculated; very rarely they are seen with 

 an extended base. As a rule, they are hard; they occur in various 

 characters — fibroma, carcinoma, or sarcoma. The author observed 

 a melanotic sarcoma in one case. 



The tumors can be removed by the 6craseur of wire, as in Fig. 

 16, or by cutting them with a probe-pointed bistoury. The hemor- 

 rhage can be checked by the thermo- cautery or by a solution of 



