‘Dimitri’ the Tiger Undergoes Dental Procedures

SANDSTONE, Minn.– It was a busy dentist day at The Wildcat Sanctuary.

And now, Dimitri the tiger has a ‘grrrreat’ smile!

The seventeen-year-old tiger was worked on by the ‘Minnesota Vet Dentist Specialist’ team from Duluth.

What initially started as a routine root canal, turned into three extractions, and two root canals.

And even when wild animals are in captivity, it’s important for them to have functioning teeth and mouths.

The cause of his tooth troubles stems from age, or a previous inhumane situation, still affecting him today.

But the good news is, today’s operation was a success.

“They’re not going under anesthesia as frequently for annual exams. So, it’s really common to see other potential concerning teeth that need to be addressed,” said Dr. Grace Brown, Board Certified Veterinary Dentist, “We were thankful to be able to treat all of his tooth pathology today, but there are some cases where we just take care of worse and worse, and then we need to wake them up, because it’s for their safety. So very thankful we were able to treat everything Dmitry presented with.”

And to have the opportunity to keep up with annual exams, for all 150 residents, the Wildcat Sanctuary founder said, it’s not easy, and it’s not cheap.

But it’s always worth it.

“Once the cats come here, every cat needs medical treatment for their up to 20 years of life, they’re going to live. And so that’s just one of many, you know, expenses we have, and kind of the lengths that the staff here at the sanctuary takes to make sure every animal gets the care they need,” said Tammy Thies, Founder & Executive ‘The Wildcat Sanctuary’.

Dr. Grace Brown also recently operated on Tundra the brown bear at the Lake Superior Zoo.

She gave him the world’s largest crown on his upper right canine.

Stay tuned for tomorrow, when we introduce the latest seizures ‘the wildcat sanctuary’ has taken on.