Relative susceptibility to disease of the mouth: Food; irritants;
bits; ropes; speculum; sharp metallic bodies; micro-organisms;
functional; nervous.
These are met with in all domestic animals, but are above all common in
horses, oxen and pigs, partly because of special susceptibilities and of
the nature of the food, but largely by reason of the exposure of this
part to mechanical injuries, especially in horses and cattle. Hard bits
and the harder hands of cruel and ruthless drivers, nooses of rope tied
over the lower jaw and tongue, iron stirrup, clevis, or balling iron
used without cover to force the jaws apart, a large drenching horn
employed as a lever for the same purpose, an extemporized Yankee bridle
rudely applied or used in breaking a colt, the method of curing a
balking or jibbing horse by tying a rope to his lower jaw and to a bar
extending forward from the pole, pins, needles, thorns and other sharp
bodies, and irritants in food or medicine are among the causes of such
disorders. Then there are the many irritating microörganismal ferments
in food, water, mucus, etc., and irritant and hot medicines and food to
account for local inflammations.