4 Jun 2021
Gerhard Putter led a team of vets to perform a root canal treatment on seven-year-old Bengal tiger at Lincolnshire Wildlife Park.
Joshua Silverwood
Job Title
The vet team carries out the procedure on Skah’s canine. Images © My Family Vets
A tiger with a toothache has undergone a multi-hour surgery after veterinary specialists from across the country rushed to save his cracked canine.
Skah, a seven-year-old Bengal tiger at Lincolnshire Wildlife Park, suffered a fractured tooth that needed a dental operation that required a team of specialised vets led by a European specialist in veterinary dentistry.
Gerhard Putter was called to the wildlife park late last year, but was unable to carry out the surgery as a result of coronavirus restrictions. However, he was able to return to the park in May to carry out the procedure.
📽 European veterinary dentistry specialist Gerhard Putter removes the nerve from the canine tooth of a Bengal tiger at @ParrotZoo.
Seven-year-old Skah underwent a two-and-a-half-hour root canal treatment after fracturing his tooth.
Full story: https://t.co/X9JjUPin3C pic.twitter.com/UQKYEMnhD3
— Vet Times (@vettimesuk) June 4, 2021
A team of top vets was put together for what was to be a two-hour operation, including two anaesthetists from Knowsley Safari Park in Merseyside and a heart specialist from London.
Dr Putter, who is based out of Mulberry Vets in Sudbury, said: “It can be difficult, even in cats and dogs, to assess pain, but I can’t see how this tiger would not have had toothache.
“A fractured tooth in a human would be extremely painful and the nerve supply is almost identical to that of big cats. I’m convinced this would definitely have hurt and it’s a real thrill that he should be much happier now.
“The left upper canine was fractured quite badly, and half of the crown of the tooth was missing.
“The only real options are to extract the tooth or do root canal treatment, which is preferable and less traumatic if possible.
“Either way it is pretty invasive stuff with a tooth that was about 5in long. Extraction of such a large tooth requires a complicated surgical procedure.”
Three other vets were also involved, including exotic animal specialist Sarah Pellett, as well as VN Hannah Morgan, both based out of Peterborough.
Dr Putter said: “It looked at first like I may have to extract the tooth, but after some surgery to remove gum away from the fracture line I was able to do root canal treatment.
“The whole procedure took about two-and-a-half hours. The anaesthesia went well, although he did start to wake up a bit towards the end.
“There is always a lot of pressure to get the procedure done successfully as getting big cats anaesthetised is always risky and there is concern if they are under for much longer than that.
“But they are beautiful animals, and it is exciting to be so close to a tiger like that. I love what I do and am always happy when I am able to help like this.”
