Saved Ukrainian Lion Receives Critical Surgery
The Big Cat Sanctuary
A three-year-old lioness rescued from conflict-ridden Ukraine has undergone vital oral operation to extract a severely infected fang resulting from an infection.
The lioness was brought to a wildlife sanctuary in Kent, England on March 14 following a fundraising effort by managing director the sanctuary's leader, who raised half a million pounds to support her and four other rescued lions.
The Big Cat Sanctuary
The surgery was carried out on Friday by veterinary dentist an experienced animal dentist, who has treated about 450 big cats.
"When I examined Lira's jaw and mouth, I could see right away the broken tooth was highly inflamed," stated Mr Kertesz.
He believed the dental issue was due to a trauma sustained over twelve months back, leading to bacteria creating toxins within the fang.
"The approach I follow is non-human oral health issues need to be treated in the most predictable, the most conservative and safest way," he said.
The expert clarified that as Lira did not need to hunt for food, extraction 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 under the fang and seal the significant opening with multiple absorbable stitches.
He additionally conducted a dental procedure on the corresponding top fang, which was also found to be infected.
Briony Smith, manager at The Big Cat Sanctuary, declared the procedure was a "complete success."
She said the staff had spotted "a small lump on Lira's jawline" but it had been difficult to determine "the extent of the problem."
"Lira will be somewhat sore to initially, but now that the infectious materials are out of her body, she will begin improving over the next few days," commented Ms Smith.
The successful surgery marks a major milestone in Lira's recovery after her arrival from the conflict area.
