Zoo Miami Animals Visit the Dentist as Part of Health Care Plan

Posted By : The Animal Facts Editorial Team

Date: October 31, 2020 10:45 pm

A lioness during her health check at Zoo Miami

Photo Credit: Zoo Miami/ Ron Magill

The animals at Zoo Miami have taken a trip to the dentist as part of the Animal Health Department’s preventative medicine program.

Dental issues can be a major health concern with issues ranging from gum disease to broken teeth potentially causing critical care issues and potentially even leading to death.

Since animals are not able to relay their dental pain to carers it is described as a “silent suffering” in the animal health field. Often the first give away is serious signs such as loss of appetite and weight. This can lead to the disease or infection process being well advanced and making treatment difficult.

An otter undergoes a health check

Photo Credit: Zoo Miami/ Ron Magill

To ensure animals do not reach these stages Zoo Miami run a rigorous preventative medicine program. This includes a dental exam during their regular general health exams. If an issue is detected this may be attended to by the veterinarians at Zoo Miami or they may enlist the assistance of a veterinary dental specialist.

This week one of those specialist dentists visited the zoo to attend to some dental health issues which had been identified. Dr. Jamie Berning, DVM, DAVDC, from Midwest Mobile Veterinary Dentistry, along with her veterinary technician, Jill A. Bates, RVT, traveled from their home in Columbus, Ohio to perform a number of procedures.

Animals which the dentists attended to included a lioness, gorilla, chimpanzee, tapir, aardvark and otters. A number of procedures were conducted over a few days ranging from general cleanings to extractions and root canals.

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