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SALT LAKE CITY -
A Hogle Zoo leopard is recovering in the zoo's Asian Highlands habitat after receiving a most unusual birthday present: a root canal. Zoo keepers recently discovered that Vladimir, the zoo's male Amur leopard, sustained a fracture on one of its canine teeth. The zoo's veterinary staff determined a root canal would be the best treatment for Vladimir; they didn't want to extract one of the meat-eating animal's best chewing teeth. So, the Hogle Zoo veterinary staff, working alongside veterinary dentist Dr. John F. Huff III, performed the root canal surgery Saturday, which also happens to be Vladimir's sixth birthday.
To keep the naturally aggressive, 110-pound leopard calm during the procedure, Huff administered anesthesia while zoo staff monitored his vital signs. Dr. Nancy Carpenter, Hogle Zoo's Director of Animal Health, said watching the procedure was an endearing process for those involved.
"It can be like watching a child on the table when you're monitoring the animals under anesthesia. They're very special to us," Carpenter said.
An Orem company called Aribex donated a hand-held X-ray machine for the surgery. Following the root canal, Vladimir received a filling in the affected tooth. The filling did not restore the original length of the leopard's tooth, but it allows the animal to retain a working canine tooth and prevents a painful extraction. As for Vladimir's birthday, Hogle Zoo tells FOX 13 News the leopard prefers meat and bones over cake.
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To keep the naturally aggressive, 110-pound leopard calm during the procedure, Huff administered anesthesia while zoo staff monitored his vital signs. Dr. Nancy Carpenter, Hogle Zoo's Director of Animal Health, said watching the procedure was an endearing process for those involved.
"It can be like watching a child on the table when you're monitoring the animals under anesthesia. They're very special to us," Carpenter said.
An Orem company called Aribex donated a hand-held X-ray machine for the surgery. Following the root canal, Vladimir received a filling in the affected tooth. The filling did not restore the original length of the leopard's tooth, but it allows the animal to retain a working canine tooth and prevents a painful extraction. As for Vladimir's birthday, Hogle Zoo tells FOX 13 News the leopard prefers meat and bones over cake.
SEND US YOUR NEWS, WEATHER AND SPORTS PICTURES! www.fox13now.com/pics
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER! @fox13now
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