Diseased Teeth 249 



cloth. The solution of a tablespoon ful of alum dis- 

 solved in a pint of water is also excellent. 



Practically all cases make a good recovery if they 

 are cared for and carefully fed. The greatest loss is 

 due to the falling away in flesh. Milk from affected 

 cows should not be used for human food, nor fed to 

 calves. This disorder is not the contagious foot-and- 

 mouth disease of Europe, an account of which will be 

 found in Chapter XVI. 



DISEASED AND ABNORMAL TEETH 



All domestic animals are subject to diseases of the 

 teeth, but horses are most frequently affected. Com- 

 mon difficulties are decayed and ulcerated teeth ; while 

 split or broken, and irregular or projecting teeth cause 

 much trouble. In horses and cattle, there is a constant 

 wearing away of the molars, or "grinders." This keeps 

 the edges sharp so the food can be ground properly. 

 If, for any reason, a tooth does not come into proper 

 contact with its opposite, there is nothing to wear it 

 away. As a result, it grows out long, and often strikes 

 and lacerates the soft tissues of the opposite jaw (Pig. 

 48) . This causes severe pain and interferes seriously with 

 the animal's eating. When the front teeth, or incisors, 

 of horses do not come evenly together, it will be found 

 that the lower jaw is drawn too far back. This causes 

 the back parts of the upper incisors to be worn away 

 and the front edges to shut over the lower ones, like 

 a parrot's bill; hence the term, "parrot- mouth." Fig. 47. 

 The symptoms of diseased teeth are : difficulty in chew- 



