Rescued from Ukraine Lioness Receives Critical Surgery
A Wildlife Rescue Center
A three-year-old lioness rescued from conflict-ridden Ukraine has received critical dental surgery to extract a badly decayed fang resulting from an infection.
The lioness was brought to The Big Cat Sanctuary in Smarden, Kent on March 14 after a fundraising effort by director the sanctuary's leader, who collected half a million pounds to support her and four other rescued lions.
The Rescue Center
The procedure was carried out on last week by 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," stated Mr Kertesz.
He believed the infection was caused by a trauma experienced over twelve months back, causing germs producing toxins inside the tooth.
"The approach I follow is animal dental problems need to be treated in the safest, the least invasive and most secure manner," he explained.
The expert explained that as Lira did not need to hunt for food, removal was the most "sensible and ethical solution."
The Big Cat Sanctuary
The sanctuary said 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 large wound with seven dissolving sutures.
He also performed a root canal treatment on the opposing upper canine tooth, which was also found to be infected.
Briony Smith, manager at the facility, said the procedure was a "complete success."
She noted the team had observed "a small lump on Lira's jawline" but it had been difficult to assess "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," commented Ms Smith.
The successful surgery represents a major milestone in the lioness's healing process after her rescue from Ukraine.
