Rescued Ukrainian Lioness Receives Essential Dental Operation
The Big Cat Sanctuary
A three-year-old lioness rescued from war-torn the war zone has received vital oral operation to extract a badly decayed canine tooth resulting from an abscess.
The lioness arrived at The Big Cat Sanctuary in Kent, England on March 14 following a fundraising effort by managing director the sanctuary's leader, who raised £500,000 to support her and several other lions from Ukraine.
The Big Cat Sanctuary
The surgery was performed on last week by veterinary dentist Peter Kertesz, who has cared for hundreds of large felines.
"Upon inspecting Lira's jaw and mouth, I could see immediately the broken tooth was highly inflamed," said Mr Kertesz.
He thought the infection was due to a trauma sustained more than a year ago, leading to bacteria producing harmful substances inside the tooth.
"My philosophy is animal oral health issues should be addressed in the most predictable, the least invasive and safest way," he said.
The expert clarified that as the lioness no longer required to catch prey, extraction was the most "logical and humane option."
The Big Cat Sanctuary
The sanctuary reported the extracted tooth was 3.14 inches in length, with the dentist having to remove a pocket of pus from beneath the tooth and seal the significant opening with multiple absorbable stitches.
He additionally conducted a root canal treatment on the opposing upper canine tooth, which was also found to be infected.
Briony Smith, manager at The Big Cat Sanctuary, declared the operation was a "complete success."
She said the team had spotted "a small lump on Lira's jawline" but it had been difficult to determine "the extent of the problem."
"Lira will be a little uncomfortable to initially, but now that the toxins are out of her body, she will start to feel much better over the next few days," added the curator.
The successful surgery represents a significant step in the lioness's healing process after her arrival from the conflict area.
