Saved Ukrainian Lioness Receives Critical Dental Operation
The Big Cat Sanctuary
A three-year-old female lion saved from conflict-ridden the war zone has undergone critical oral operation to extract a severely infected fang caused by an infection.
Lira arrived at The Big Cat Sanctuary in Kent, England on March 14 following a campaign by director Cam Whitnall, who raised half a million pounds to support her and several other lions from Ukraine.
The Rescue Center
The procedure was carried out on Friday 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 the dentist.
He thought the dental issue was due to a injury experienced more than a year ago, causing germs creating toxins inside the tooth.
"The approach I follow is non-human dental problems need to be treated in the safest, the most conservative and safest way," he explained.
Mr Kertesz explained that as Lira no longer required to catch prey, removal was the most "sensible and ethical solution."
The Big Cat Sanctuary
The sanctuary said the extracted tooth was 3.14 inches in length, with the dentist having to extract a accumulated infection from under the fang and seal the large wound with multiple absorbable stitches.
He also performed a root canal treatment on the opposing upper canine tooth, which was discovered to have a similar issue.
The curator, manager at The Big Cat Sanctuary, declared the procedure was a "total triumph."
She said the staff had observed "a small lump on Lira's jawline" but it had been impossible to determine "how serious the condition was."
"Lira will be somewhat sore to initially, but now that the toxins are removed from her system, she will begin improving over the coming days," commented the curator.
This vital operation represents a major milestone in the lioness's healing process after her arrival from the conflict area.
