welling of the mucous membrane covering
the hard palate and projecting in a more or less prominent ridge
immediately behind the upper incisors. The hard palate is composed of
spongy tissue that fills with blood when the horse is feeding, which
causes the ridges to become prominent, and they then help to keep feed
from dropping from the mouth. This swelling is entirely natural and
occurs in every healthy horse. Where there is some irritation in the
mouth, as in stomatitis or during teething, the prominence of the hard
palate may persist, owing to the increased blood supply. In such cases
the cause of the irritation should be nought for and removed. By way of
direct treatment, slight scarification is the most that will be
required. Burning the lampas is barbarous and injurious, and it should
never be tolerated.

It is a quite common opinion among owners of horses and stablemen that
lampas is a disease that very frequently exists. In fact whenever a
horse fails to eat, and if he does not exhibit very marked symptoms of a
severe illness, they say at once "he has the lampas." It is almost
impossible to convince them to the contrary; yet it is not the case. It
may be put down, then, as an affliction of the stable-man's imagination
rather than of the horse's mouth.

STOMATITIS.

Stomatitis is an inflammation of the mucous membrane lining the mouth
and is produced by irritating medicines, feeds, or other substances. The
symptoms are swelling of the mouth, which is also hot and painful to the
touch; there is a copious discharge of saliva; the mucous membrane is
reddened, and in some cases vesicles or ulcers in the mouth are
observed. The treatment is simple, soft feed alone often being all that
is necessary. A bucket of fresh, cold water should be kept constantly in
the manger so that the horse may drink or rinse his mouth at will. In
some instances, it may be advisable to use a wash of chlorate of potash,
borax, or alum, about one-half ounce to a pint of water. Hay, straw, or
oats should not be fed unless steamed or boiled. A form of contagious
stomatitis, characterized by the formation within the mouth of small
vesicles, or blisters, sometimes occurs. In this disease the horse
should be isolated from other horses, and his stall, especially the feed
box, and his bit should be disinfected.

GLOSSITIS (INFLAMMATION OF THE TONGUE).

Glossitis, or inflammation of the tongue, is very similar to stomatitis,
and mostly exist