LIVESTOCK
Care of teeth vital for good condition
M
ost smallholders
have a variety of
livestock on their
plots and it is useful to know
about the teeth of the
different animals, so that one
can watch out for potential
dental problems which, if not
treated, will often result in a
loss of condition.
All good herdsmen have an
on-going interest in the teeth
of their animals because they
know how important proper
chewing is to the livestock's
overall health and productiveness.
Ruminants such as cattle,
sheep and goats are herbivores, which means they eat
plants, and they have
stomachs with multiple
chambers. We commonly say
that they chew the cud, a
process whereby they
regurgitate food after swallow-
ing it to grind it down into
finer matter. The Afrikaans
name for such animals
describes them perfectly:
“herkouers” (=re-chewers).
But what is interesting is that
they do not have teeth in the
upper jaw, having instead a
"dental pad" and their bottom
incisors (eight of them) bite
against that. This helps them
to gather large quantities of
grass and other plant matter.
However, since they cannot
bite grass off, they are
inefficient at grazing more
closely than 15 cm from the
ground.
The temporary incisors of the
very young animal are
gradually replaced by
permanent incisors in pairs,
starting with the central pair,
then working outwards.
People are able to assess the
age of an animal from its
teeth.
Horses have six incisors on
both the upper and lower
jaws. The central pair of
permanent incisors erupt at
about 2½ years of age, the
second pair erupt at 3½
years, the fourth pair at 4½
years. As with ruminants, the
age of the young horse can
be determined by the
number of permanent
incisors it has.
After five years of age, other
features of the incisors can be
used to help assess age.
These features include the
pattern of enamel and
dentine on the biting surface,
the presence of enamel spurs
on the outer edges of the
third upper incisors, and the
angle of the incisors in the
jaw. But it takes an expert to
do this accurately.
Pigs are born with incisors and
canines, and these teeth
eventually grow molars and
premolars. Pigs' canines
Continued on page 35
A piglet doesn’t enjoy a visit to the
dentist
34
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