Snow Leopard Visits The Dentist For A Root Canal

When we think of visiting the dentist, most of us probably picture people going for a cleaning or perhaps some more extensive dental work. It’s something most people do on a regular basis, but it’s also important for animals as well!

Every time I take my dog to the vet for his check-up, they do a look inside his mouth and ask if I’ve been brushing his teeth. They offer full cleanings and dental work if needed, though we haven’t had to take them up on it yet.

At the Ähtäri Zoo in Finland, a snow leopard ended up needing some dental work and she got to visit special animal clinic in Nurmo for care.

It all started when zookeepers noticed a strange-looking tooth in the mouth of their snow leopard, Juma.

“The expert’s analysis of the picture was that it needs a little correction before it starts bothering Juma, so on Friday Juma was taken to the familiar Takala animal clinic in Nurmo for dental treatment,” the zoo explained on its website.

The zoo shared photos of the procedure on Facebook, saying: “Our female snowleopard Juma got to go to Nurmo last week for a dentist visit. She was definitely a little different to their daily cat patients.”

According to the zoo’s website, Juma ended up needing a root canal on the second lower molar on her jaw. She also had fillings placed to prevent infection.

Thankfully, Juma is already back to her normal activities after recovering in her own space at the zoo.

On Saturday the 18th, the zoo even shared a video of Juma getting some fun stimulation in with a mysterious bag they’d placed in her enclosure.

Inside the back was a nice treat, something Juma definitely deserves after being a trooper for her dental work!

Hopefully her healing and future dental work is all smooth sailing from here.