Rescued Ukrainian Lion Receives Essential Surgery
The Big Cat Sanctuary
A three-year-old lioness saved from war-torn Ukraine has received vital dental surgery to extract a severely infected canine tooth caused by an infection.
Lira was brought to The Big Cat Sanctuary in Smarden, Kent on 14 March after a fundraising effort by director the sanctuary's leader, who raised half a million pounds to support her and several other lions from Ukraine.
The Big Cat Sanctuary
The surgery was performed on last week by veterinary dentist an experienced animal dentist, who has cared for hundreds of large felines.
"Upon inspecting Lira's jaw and mouth, I could see immediately the damaged fang was highly inflamed," stated the dentist.
He believed the dental issue was due to a trauma experienced over twelve months back, leading to bacteria creating toxins inside the tooth.
"The approach I follow is non-human oral health issues need to be treated in the safest, the most conservative and most secure manner," he explained.
Mr Kertesz explained that as Lira no longer required to hunt for food, extraction was the most "logical and humane option."
The Animal Rescue Facility
The rescue center reported the extracted tooth was 3.14 inches in length, with the dentist having to extract a accumulated infection from under the fang and close the significant opening with multiple absorbable stitches.
He also performed a root canal treatment on the corresponding top fang, which was discovered to have a similar issue.
The curator, manager at the facility, declared the procedure was a "complete success."
She noted the staff had observed "a small lump on the lioness's face" but it had been impossible to assess "the extent of the problem."
"Lira will be a little uncomfortable to begin with, but now that the toxins are out of her body, she will begin improving over the coming days," commented the curator.
The successful surgery represents a significant step in the lioness's healing process after her rescue from Ukraine.
