A Little-known Profession.

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 3 April 1914, Page 2

A Little-known Profession.

V A CHAT WITH A CATTLE DENTIST. "Yes, I dare say it does seem a queer occupation ; but I have earned a good living at it for over thirty ! years, and it was the only business my father ever followed." i The profession referred to Was i j that of a horse and cattle dentist. ; and, when pressed for some parti- , culars regarding it, the speaker sug- - / , gested that the interviewer should < accompany him to the next farm, i where he would - probably have an ■, opportunity of seeing him at work. On arriving there, it was soon cvi- l dent that the dentist and his errand were well known, for the farmer came out to meet him, and at once led the way to the shippen and stables. Going up to one of the horses, the visitor opened its mouth, and, after a brief glance inside, told the farmer to hold it open, and in an in- ? credibly short space of time twgp big rotten teeth were lying on tfa^^V' floor. Strange to say, the animaDy:,*did not exhibit much signs of pain —not nearly as much as is usually shown by human beings on like occasions. The same operation was carried out with all the horses and cattle, except for a variation in the number of teeth drawn. In many cases it was not necessary to extract any, while in the case of one cow no less than six were removed. That the dentist not only twderstood his work, but also enjoyed the confidence of his patron, was very evident, for the farmer made no demur whatever number he considered it necessary to extract. Having concluded his work, the dentist gave the interviewer further details of his business. "Y.ou probably noticed," he said, "that the animals from whom I extracted the most teeth were generally in very poor condition. Those ( poor creatures will probably have been suffering from toothache for weeks, and, as a consequence, have been off their feed. Now that the ! offending teeth are removed, they will quickly pull up and put on flesh again. ! j " From long experience, I can tell . !at a glance when an animal's teeth ' | are troubling it, and I rarely extract a tooth without an improvement in condition resulting. "All the racing stables and cattleowners within thirty miles of here know of my long experience and skill, and, as a consequence, I practically ■ enjoy a monopoly of the district. j I make regular calls twice a year jon ail my patrons, and I charge ac- | cording to circumstances, the price j varying from as low as threepence jto five or six shillings a tooth. . ' I Sometimes I only earn a shilling ' in a day, and at other times I earn a couple of guineas in as many hours." - "Do you never have trouble with vicious animals ?" queried the interviewer. , < . "Not often," he replied. " Occa- --*- sionally I have to use a 'twitch,1 " but generally 1 can manage with th« mouth held open by hand. Sometimes I get bitten—here he displated his hands, which were covered with deep scars and wounds, man;y of them still unhealed—"but I never | experience any ill effects. I think it is only the bites' of carnivorous animals which set xip blood-poison-ing. I was bitten by a dog a short time ago, and it took me a couple of months to get it right ; but the wounds on my hands will '* heal in a week if I can keep them from being reopened."