62 THE COW IN HEALTH AND DISEASE 



controlled. As soon as a swelling is noticed that 

 would indicate there is an ulceration at the root 

 of the tooth the swelling should be painted twice 

 daily with tincture of iodin. If this treatment 

 fails to bring marked improvement within a few 

 days a veterinarian should be called to drill with 

 a bone drill through the bone at the swelling to 

 liberate the pus and remove the tooth, which is 

 teeth are broken or split by biting on some hard 

 object that is picked up with the feed. Cavities, 

 due to injuries to the enamel, are often found in 

 the teeth. Ulceration of the teeth is quite com- 

 mon in milk cows and usually affects the upper 

 molars. A hard swelling appears on the cow's 

 face below the eye ; it grows rapidly larger in 

 size, is tender to the touch and the cow will often 

 show that it is difficult for her to eat. This en- 

 largement opens in the course of several days if 

 it is not properly treated and then discharges a 

 small quantity of very foul-smelling pus. Once 

 in a while an extra tooth will be found that inter- 

 feres with eating in some way ; this is known as 

 a supernumerary tooth. 



To examine the cow's teeth it is necessary to 

 use the gag or speculum previously described, 

 and the examination should be made in a good 

 light. If the teeth are uneven, due to grinding, 

 they should have the sharp points removed by 

 the same method that is used in horses. If it 

 is necessary to extract any tooth or part of a 

 tooth it will be necessary to cast the cow and tie 

 her securely so that the head can be properly 



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