Taking a lion to the dentist? Just another day at Brevard Zoo!  

All our animal residents – even the larger members of our Zoo – receive regular veterinary exams at our L3 Harris Animal Care Center thanks to our Director of Veterinary Programs Dr. Rachel Turner and staff veterinarian Dr. Garrett Crooks. This helps them to provide preventative care for our residents and to have a baseline understanding of their health. Our veterinary team has been monitoring the dental health of our 6-year-old lion, Karoo, for some time. 

Karoo has shown wear on his teeth, likely due to interactions in his environment like with enrichment items or bones in his diet. About a year ago, Karoo received root canals on the canines in his lower jaw. The pulp material of those teeth was removed, the canals were filled, and we placed a restoration, or a cap, on the end of the teeth.  

We recently called on Dr. Monica Morgado with Animal Specialty & Emergency Center of Brevard after noting that those restorations had worn away. Repairing his teeth took two visits. During her first visit, she and her team flushed and cleaned the canals of those teeth and temporarily placed restorations to protect the teeth while crowns were created. Those crowns were placed on his teeth about a month later.  

Dental health is directly related to systemic health, said Dr. Turner. Dirty or unhealthy teeth can predispose animals to heart disease, systemic infections, and diabetes.  

“Maintaining the dental health of our animals helps them live long, healthy lives, and engage in their normal nutritional and social behaviors,” Dr. Turner said.    

For carnivores like lions, those natural nutritional and social behaviors include using their teeth to tear and chomp their food, and with their interactions with each other.    

We appreciate Dr. Morgado’s support in helping ensure Karoo’s teeth stay as healthy as possible!