A Wildlife Rescue Center
An adolescent lioness rescued from conflict-ridden Ukraine has undergone vital oral operation to extract a badly decayed canine tooth caused by an abscess.
The lioness arrived at a wildlife sanctuary in Kent, England on March 14 following a fundraising effort by managing director Cam Whitnall, who raised £500,000 to fund her and several other lions from Ukraine.
The Rescue Center
The surgery was carried out on Friday by veterinary dentist an experienced animal dentist, who has treated about 450 big cats.
"When I examined Lira's jaw and mouth, I could see right away the damaged fang was severely infected," said the dentist.
He thought the infection was due to a trauma experienced more than a year ago, causing bacteria creating 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 safest way," he explained.
Mr Kertesz clarified that as the lioness did not need to catch prey, removal was the most "logical and humane option."
The Big Cat Sanctuary
The rescue center reported the extracted tooth was 8cm (3.14 inches) long, with the dentist having to remove a pocket of pus from under the fang and close the significant opening with seven dissolving sutures.
He also performed a root canal treatment 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 "complete success."
She noted the staff had spotted "a minor swelling on the lioness's face" but it had been impossible to assess "the extent of the problem."
"The lioness will be a little uncomfortable to initially, but now that the infectious materials are out of her body, she will begin improving over the next few days," added the curator.
The successful surgery marks a major milestone in the lioness's healing process after her rescue from Ukraine.
