Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-02-24

horses in the Allegheny Fire Department
and fixing up such of their teeth as were
found in need of repairs. He maintains
that the teeth Of horses require dentists
attention quite as often as those Of men.
There are good many veterinary surgeons
in the two cities, who combine this kind Of
dentistry with their regular practice, but
the number of those who follow veterinary
dentistry alone is comparatively limited.
"Many of the disagreeable habits which
some horses have, such as side pulling, toss
ing the head and cribbing are due to a dis
eased condition of the teeth or mouth In
nine cases out of ten" remarked the den-
tist. ''Of course an old horse will persist
in some of these habits, particularly that of
cribbing, even after the cause is removed;
but young animals can be cured completely
if taken in time. These unnatural tricks
are the methods adopted by the horse to re-
lieve himself Of pain or q disagreeable feel
ing in the mouth
''Do the teeth of horses frequently de-
cay?"
''They do; and they frequently become
loosened or broken by some accident, such
as fall, then an ulcer forms, the horse is
unable to masticate his food properly, and
the consequence is that he loses his appetite
and begins to run down in flesh.
EQUINE DENTISTRY.
"Another trouble. which is of less fire.
quent occurrence, is an extra growth upon
some one of the teeth, resulting in such u1-
evenness that it is almost impossible for
the animal to chew his food at all. The
teeth may be naturally uneven, or they
may be worn so from the continued masti-
cation of dry and hard food. In either
case they require attention, and should be
so fitted that they will do properly the
work for which they were intended. A
horses upper jaw is considerably wider
than the lower, and therefore the play of
the jaw must,be free and unobstructed. You
can readily see that it must be impossible
for the animal to chew his food up fine if
some of the teeth project far above the
Others"
ST have read that animals, in their
natural state, are never afflicted with tooth
ache or similar ailments. Do you think
this is true?"
"It NAV be. know this much about it.
Horses that are kept in the stable and fed
on hay and grain are most liable to be so
troubled. Young horses that are allowed
their freedom and feed on grass seldom have
anything the matter with their teeth
Isn't it hard task to pull horses
tooth?''
''Not by any means as difficult as it would
appear. To pull sound one would doubt
less require the exertion of great strength,
but that is something we never do. If the
tooth is loose or liberated or diseolored, in
dicating that it is deeayed, we pull it with
instruments of shape similar to those used
-, b,,t 10 -
are occasionally met with where horses have
what are known as 'woli's teeth A VOLTS
tooth grows out in front of the first anterior
moiar. 1t is an unnatural growth and fire.
quently results in impaired vision and some
times causes total blindness. For pulling
wolf teeth we have a special instrument,
excellently adapted to the purpose"
HOW THE WORK is DONE.
The dentist here brought out and exhib-
tied his set of instruments. They were
numerous, and looked about like ordinary
dentists tools, greatly magnifed A pair
of forceps was about 16 inches long, and
other instruments in proportion. then
asked:
Don't your patients sometimes struggle
greatly while being operated upon?"
'No. They generally take it very quietly
after the first excitement is over, seeming to
hudS uOuC ID lux
their benefit. use no force whatever, for
1 can accomplish more by kindness. Horses
are possessed of common sense, and many Of
them seem glad to have their Troublesome
teeth treated. Then, too, their teeth are not
sensitive like ours, having no nerves, so far
as have been able to discover"
care false teeth ever made for horses?"
''They may have been, but they could
scarcely be successful, for even very in
teliigent animal can scarcely be educated
to appreciate their uses. But we frequently
have occasion to fill their teeth. We use
the same materials as other dentists-amaI-
gam generally-though in rare cases the
teeth of trotters or other high priced horses
are filed with gold"
"Isn't there danger of being bitten by
vicious horses?"
"Not if you know where to put your
hands. 1 always leave horses head per-
fectly free, and frequently find that a So
called vicious animal is the most patient
under treatment"
"Your profession is a comparatively mod
ern one, 1 judge"
"Yes, it has sprung up because there was
q demand for it. Owners make the care of
their animals study, and they are begin.
ming to learn that it is essential to the well
fare of horses that the teeth be well taken
care Of There are good many veterinary
dentists in the West-they don't appear to
be as numerous in Eastern cities-and their
number is increasing every year"
BARNEY.