170 MANUAL OF FARM ANIMALS 



The horse should be fed soft foods, such as gruels and 

 mashes. 



Abnormal and diseased teeth. ■ — The outer edges of the upper, 

 and the inner edges of the lower, back teetli may become sharp 

 and cut the cheeks or tongue. With a guarded rasp, remove 

 the sharp points, taking care not to rasp the grinding surface of 

 the teeth. 



Decayed, ulcered, spht, and broken teeth should be removed. 

 This should be done with forceps. Never punch teeth out if 

 it can be avoided, as the tooth is likely to be broken and some 

 of the pieces remain in the jaw where they cannot be removed, 

 and thus cause much trouble. Occasionally, however, it will be 

 necessary to cut a hole through the jaw bone and punch the 

 tooth out. In all cases the opposite tooth should be filed off 

 at least once a year. 



Lampas is a swelling of the mucous membrane covering the top 

 of the mouth. It is caused by some irritation of the mouth, 

 and is more troublesome at teething time, after which it will 

 disappear. The treatment is to remove the cause when pos- 

 sible. In very bad cases a few pricks with a suture needle, 

 then bathing the mouth in alum water, will prove helpful. If 

 the mouth is pricked, the horse should be fed on soft food for 

 a time. In mild cases the feeding of ear corn will sufiice. 

 Burning lampas is cruel and injurious and should never be 

 tolerated. 



Ailments of the throat and gullet 



Diseases and derangements of these organs are not common 

 except choking, the result of the introduction of foreign bodies 

 or of giving some irritating medicine. 



Choking is the closing of the gullet with some foreign body. 

 It often happens when the animal attempts to swallow an 

 apple or turnip and similar objects without crushing them. 

 Some horses choke from feeding too rapidly. The treatment is 



