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A Herdsman's Handbook for the Modern Homesteader

Proper mastication is important to the livestock's overall health and productiveness. The degree of development and the potential remaining usefulness of the creature being considered for purchase are often directly reflected by the animal's teeth. Dr. Ho

May/June 1973
 
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All good herdsmen have an enduring interest in the teeth of their animals because they know how important proper mastication is to the livestock's overall health and productiveness. They also know that teeth can be "read" to indicate the approximate age of individual cows, horses, etc.

First-time farmers usually do pretty well with gardens, chopping wood and building outhouses . . . but the birth of that first calf or litter of pigs generally sets 'em back a couple of notches. R.J. Holliday DVM, a veterinarian in Missouri and MOTHER contributor, intends to remedy the situation. His tool? A new handbook precisely designed to explain all the animal facts of life in language that new back -to-the-landers can understand.

MOTHER is serializing the manual as Dr. Holliday completes each chapter and here's installment No. 7:

The question which is probably most frequently asked before an animal changes ownership is, "How old is he (or she)?" The actual age—within broad limits—of the cow or whatever, of course, is really not as important as that query might imply. What is important is the degree of development and the potential remaining usefulness of the creature being considered for purchase . . . and both these conditions are often directly reflected by the animal's teeth.

To be productive, a farm animal—say a cow—must consume large quantities of feed . . . a task that becomes increasingly difficult—even impossible—as her teeth become badly worn or missing. Thus, even a "young" cow can be non-productive if her teeth are "old".

ANIMAL TEETH ARE LIKE PEOPLE TEETH

With certain exceptions—to be noted later—the dental appendages of animals are very similar to those of humans. All the higher vertebrates-cattle, horses, pigs, sheep, goats, etc.—commonly found in the barnyard have two sets of teeth. The first-called temporary, milk or deciduous teeth—are replaced (at fairly predictable times) by permanent teeth as an animal grows older.

Livestock also exhibit individual tooth structure—pulp, dentine, enamel and cement—very much like our own. In most cases, each tooth is divided into parts called the root (hidden in the gums) and the crown (exposed and covered with enamel). The place at which the root and crown join is commonly known as the neck of a tooth.

THE DENTAL FORMULA

Animal teeth are classified as incisors, canines, premolars and molars . . . and veterinary anatomists have a very concise method of writing this information in a "dental formula".

The dental formula for an adult male horse looks like this:

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