Rescued Ukrainian Lion Receives Critical Dental Operation
The Big Cat Sanctuary
A three-year-old lioness saved from conflict-ridden the war zone has undergone critical dental surgery to extract a badly decayed canine tooth caused by an infection.
The lioness arrived at a wildlife sanctuary in Smarden, Kent on March 14 following a campaign by managing director the sanctuary's leader, who collected half a million pounds to support her and four other rescued lions.
The Big Cat Sanctuary
The procedure was carried out on Friday by veterinary dentist Peter Kertesz, who has treated about 450 big cats.
"Upon inspecting the lioness's oral cavity, I could see right away the broken tooth was highly inflamed," stated the dentist.
He believed the infection was caused by a injury experienced over twelve months back, leading to bacteria producing toxins inside the tooth.
"The approach I follow is non-human oral health issues need to be treated in the most predictable, the least invasive and most secure manner," he explained.
The expert clarified that as the lioness no longer required to catch prey, extraction was the most "sensible and ethical solution."
The Animal Rescue Facility
The rescue center said the extracted tooth was 8cm (3.14 inches) long, with the dentist having to extract a pocket of pus from beneath the tooth and close the large wound with multiple absorbable stitches.
He also performed a dental procedure on the opposing upper canine tooth, which was discovered to have a similar issue.
The curator, curator at the facility, declared the procedure was a "total triumph."
She noted the staff had spotted "a small lump on Lira's jawline" but it had been difficult to determine "how serious the condition was."
"Lira will be somewhat sore to begin with, but now that the toxins are removed from her system, she will begin improving over the next few days," added Ms Smith.
The successful surgery marks a significant step in Lira's recovery after her arrival from the conflict area.
