The management and treatment of the horse in the stable, field, and ...

182 The Management and Treatment of the Horse,
cheek or the tongue, to prevent which the teeth should
be filed down. If from the above cause the cheek or
tongue has been cut, and an ulcer formed, the mouth
should be washed with alum and water, as much alum
being used as the water will dissolve. Sometimes the
teeth grow irregularly in length, more especially the
grinders ; this proceeds generally from their not being
immediately opposite each other. Instances are not
wanting where the teeth have grown an inch or more
above the general level of the grinders. Indeed, the
writer lately had a case of this sort at Wellbury,
and it became necessary to cut away above an inch
of the tooth, to enable the animal to grind its corn.
Horses often fall out of condition from these causes,
therefore it becomes the careful groom to look well
to his horse's teeth. If the horse is off its feed, try
and find the cause ; it is often that the teeth are either
decayed or have met with an injury, or become rough
at the edge. Some years ago the writer had a horse
which fell off its feed, and he could find no cause for it,
until he examined its mouth, when, to his surprise, he
found a hollow tooth, and a lath nail sticking fast in
the tooth up to its head. The nail must have been in
the corn, and in eating it become fast embedded in the
hollow tooth. He extracted the nail with great difficulty,
and afterwards punched out the tooth, and never had
any more trouble with the horse. Another subject of
decayed teeth came under his care in 1871; it was a bay
gelding, six years old, and was in very bad condition
when brought. Upon carefully examining the mouth,
it had six hollow teeth in the top jaw, four incisor and