Wakefield vets filled with pride after treating lioness

Vets at a leading Yorkshire animal hospital have carried out an eye examination and treatment on one of their biggest feline patients ever – a lioness.

The examination with a difference was carried out by veterinary experts from Linnaeus-owned Paragon Veterinary Referrals on a 23-year-old lioness at the popular Flamingo Land Resort in North Yorkshire.

James Rushton, head of ophthalmology at Paragon Veterinary Referrals led the examination, with support from colleagues Ruby Shorrock, an ECVO resident, and Giuseppe Vitello, an ECVN resident who was doing an ophthalmology rotation at the time.

James said: “It is rare for us to be called out to see exotic species, although we are always happy to see them.

“The most challenging part was trying to get as much information as we could from a distant examination only.”

The veterinary experts had initially been called because of a suspected penetrating injury to the left eye of the lioness.

It was decided a distant examination was the best course of action as the age of the lioness posed risks in terms of undergoing the general anaesthetic needed for a thorough examination.

The check-up successfully identified the lioness had a blood clot and a circular lesion in the central aspect of the cornea of the left eye.

James added: “Examination and treatment were challenging, as the lioness is not tame enough to be handled.

“Treatment included aiming topical medication from a distance towards the eye to try to ensure antibiotic cover to prevent corneal infection.

“The medication is proving successful with the local vet continuing medical management but if it hadn’t been, we may have reconsidered sedation and a corneal grafting procedure or enucleation depending on the scenario.”

Paragon provides expert care in anaesthesia and analgesia, cardiology, dermatology, diagnostic imaging, internal medicine, neurology, oncology, ophthalmology, orthopaedics and soft tissue surgery.

For more information on Paragon Veterinary Referrals, visit www.paragonreferrals.co.uk or search for Paragon Veterinary Referrals on social media.