Rescued Ukrainian Lioness Undergoes Critical Dental Operation
A Wildlife Rescue Center
A three-year-old lioness rescued from war-torn the war zone has received vital oral operation to extract a badly decayed fang resulting from an infection.
The lioness arrived at a wildlife sanctuary in Kent, England on 14 March after a fundraising effort by managing director the sanctuary's leader, who collected £500,000 to support her and four other rescued lions.
The Rescue Center
The procedure was carried out on last week by veterinary dentist an experienced animal dentist, who has treated about 450 big cats.
"Upon inspecting Lira's jaw and mouth, I could see right away the broken tooth was highly inflamed," said Mr Kertesz.
He believed the dental issue was caused by a injury sustained over twelve months back, causing bacteria producing toxins within the fang.
"My philosophy is non-human oral health issues should be addressed in the most predictable, the least invasive and safest way," he explained.
Mr Kertesz explained that as Lira no longer required to catch prey, removal was the most "logical and humane option."
The Big Cat Sanctuary
The sanctuary reported the removed fang was 3.14 inches in length, with Mr Kertesz having to remove a accumulated infection from beneath the tooth 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, said the operation was a "complete success."
She said the team had observed "a small lump on the lioness's face" but it had been difficult to assess "how serious the condition was."
"The lioness will be a little uncomfortable to begin with, but now that the infectious materials are out of her body, she will start to feel much better over the coming days," commented the curator.
The successful surgery represents a major milestone in the lioness's healing process after her arrival from the conflict area.
