Table Of ContentZoo and Wild Animal Dentistry
Zoo and Wild Animal Dentistry
Edited by
Peter P. Emily DDS
Certification Periodontics, Endodontics, and Oral Surgery
Hon. Dipl. American Veterinary Dental College
Edward R. Eisner AB, DVM
Diplomate American Veterinary Dental College
Founding AVDC Certificate Holder Zoo and Wildlife Dentistry
This edition first published 2021
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Emily, Peter, editor. | Eisner, Edward R., editor.
Title: Zoo and wild animal dentistry / edited by Peter P Emily, Edward R
Eisner.
Description: Hoboken, NJ : Wiley-Blackwell, 2021. | Includes
bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2020028100 (print) | LCCN 2020028101 (ebook) | ISBN
9781119545811 (cloth) | ISBN 9781119545859 (adobe pdf) | ISBN
9781119545873 (epub)
Subjects: MESH: Dental Care–veterinary | Dentistry–veterinary | Animals,
Zoo | Animals, Wild
Classification: LCC SF867 (print) | LCC SF867 (ebook) | NLM SF 867 | DDC
636.089/76–dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020028100
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020028101
Cover Design: Wiley
Cover Image: Courtesy of Edward R. Eisner
Set in 9.5/12.5pt STIXTwoText by SPi Global, Pondicherry, India
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Dedicated to the Peter Emily International
Veterinary Dental Foundation
and
its ongoing improvement of oral health in captive animals worldwide
vii
Contents
List of Contributors xi
Foreword xiii
About Peter Emily xv
Acknowledgements xvii
Introduction xix
Part I A History of Veterinary Dentistry and of Teeth, and Dental Therapy of Wild Animals 1
1 History of Veterinary Dentistry, Including Development of Oral and Dental Treatment of Wild and Zoo,
Safari Park and Refuge Animals 3
Colin E. Harvey
2 Odontology: A History of Teeth 7
Peter P. Emily
3 Special Considerations Regarding Equipment and Instruments 11
4 Dental Form and Function as it Relates to Dental Therapy of Wild Animals 19
5 Carnivore Dental Therapy 29
5A Conventional (Standard/Normograde) Endodontics Overview 29
5B Surgical Endodontics 39
5C Periodontics 43
5D Caries and Endodontic Access Preparation and Restoration 44
5E Combined Endodontic-Periodontal Therapy 45
5F Oral Surgery 48
6 Herbivore Endodontic Therapy 59
6A Standard and Surgical Endodontics 59
7 Marsupial and Herbivore Abscesses 63
8 Elephant Dentistry 65
8A Tusk Therapy for Hog, Walrus, Elephant and Hippopotamus 66
8B Practical Elephant Dentistry 69
Gerhard Steenkamp
viii Contents
9 Primate Dentistry 79
9A Endodontics 79
9B Caries and Restorative Dentistry 82
9C Periodontal Disease 86
10 Avian Fractured and Maloccluded Beaks 87
10A Beak Fracture Repair: Materials and Methods 88
10B Orthobeakics 92
10C Beak Repair for Amphibians 97
10D Beakistry: Orthognathic Corrections and Surgical Repair of Avian Beaks 99
Roberto S. Fecchio
11 Marine Mammal Dentistry 119
Steven E. Holmstrom
12 Practical Anesthesia for Captive Wild Animals 131
Felicia Knightly
Part II Pertinent Dental Information, of 352 Species most often treated in Sanctuaries and Zoos 139
13 Carnivores: Families: Felid, Bear, Canid, Racoon, Weasel, Civet, Hyena 141
13A Big Cats 143
13B Small Cats 151
14 The Bear Family 155
14A Big Bears 155
14B Small Bears 159
15 The Primates 161
15A Lower Primates: Prosimians: Prosimii – Long Face, Prominent Whiskers, Slightly
Sideways-Looking Eyes, Nocturnal 162
15B Higher Primates 166
16 Tree Shrews 177
17 The Dog Family 179
18 The Racoon Family 185
19 The Weasel Family: Weasels and Polecats 189
20 The Mongoose Family: Viverridae Civets and Genets Binturong 195
21 The Hyena Family: Strictly Carnivores 199
22 Marsupials 201
23 Larg Herbivores: The Ungulates 209
23A Primitive Ungulates 209
23B The Hoofed Mammals 213
Contents ix
24 Small Herbivores: Rodents 245
24A Squirrel-Like Rodents 245
24B Mouse-Like Rodents 250
24C Cavy-Like Rodents 255
24D Other Cavy-Like Rodents 258
24E Old World Porcupines 259
25 Lagomorphs 261
26 Elephant-Shrew 265
27 Insectivores 267
28 Edentates 271
29 Bats 275
30 Monotremes 277
31 Marine Mammals 279
31A Whales, Porpoises, and Dolphins 279
31B Seals and Sea Lions 283
31C Sea Cows and Manatees 287
32 Amphibians 289
33 Reptiles 291
34 Avian 295
34A Birds of Prey 295
34B Scavangers 298
34C Psittacine Birds 301
34D Ground-nesting Birds and Shorebirds 303
34E Aquatic Birds 308
Appendix I Taxonomy 315
Appendix II Types of Dentition 317
Appendix III Dental Formulas 319
Appendix IV Feeding Adaptations 333
Glossary of Dental Terms 335
Further Reading 339
Index 341
xi
Listof Contributors
Edward R. Eisner AB, DVM Steven E. Holmstrom, BS, DVM
Diplomate American Veterinary Dental College Diplomate American Veterinary Dental College
Founding AVDC Certificate Holder Zoo and Wildlife Founding AVDC Certificate Holder Zoo and Wildlife
Dentistry Dentistry
Castle Rock, CO, USA San Pedro, CA, USA
Peter P. Emily, DDS Felicia Knightly, DVM
Certification Periodontics, Endodontics, and Oral Surgery Senior Veterinarian
Hon. Dipl. American Veterinary Dental College Memphis Zoo
Lakewood, CO, USA Memphis, TN, USA
Roberto S. Fecchio, DVM, MS, PhD Gerhard Steenkamp, BSc, BVSc, MSc, PhD
Founding AVDC Certificate Holder Zoo and Wildlife Founding AVDC Certificate Holder Zoo and Wildlife
Dentistry Dentistry
ABRAVAS, PhD and MSC by University of São Paulo Associate Professor Department of Companion Animal
São Paulo, Brazil Clinical Studies
Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria
Colin E. Harvey, BVSc, FRCVS Pretoria, South Africa
Diplomate American Veterinary Dental College
Diplomate American College of Veterinary Surgeons
Professor Emeritus of Surgery and Dentistry School of
Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA, USA
xiii
Foreword
I am pleased to write this foreword for Drs. Emily and would like to see an animal on display with an intact
Eisner’s textbook, the first entirely dedicated to zoo and dentition.
wild animal dentistry. Though the use of non‐evidence based and non‐FDA‐
Ever since I met Dr. Emily for the first time in the 1980s, approved materials and instruments should not be pro-
we have enjoyed stimulating discussions on comparative moted, it is an unavoidable fact that procedures on
odontology and I am grateful to him for introducing me to non‐domestic species may require medications and instru-
Osborn’s concept of tribosphenic molar teeth. I also share ments that are not FDA‐approved for use in those species.
with him and Dr. Eisner a strong interest in oral pathology In addition, some dental materials, such as MTA, are cost‐
occurring in animals and a curiosity about natural history prohibitive to use in large volumes; hence “Dr. Emily’s
in general, and its relation to dentition and dental pathol- MTA’s recipe”, which I found to exemplify this book:
ogy in particular. Since then, my research and teaching empirical, practical and helpful. The practicality and help-
interests have directed me more to comparative dental fulness are important, given the fact that getting the proce-
pathology and odontology, respectively, while the authors dure done in a timely fashion is especially important in
have spearheaded clinical dentistry in zoo and wild ani- these animals, in order to minimize the duration of
mals, for which they should be commended. anesthesia.
Dentistry is, or should be, an essential part of the veteri- This is an important textbook and addition to the veteri-
nary care of zoo and wild animals in captivity, both in nary dental and zoological medicine literature. While this
terms of preventative care as part of their long‐term hus- book is not an authoritative textbook on comparative
bandry, and in addressing dental conditions as they occur. odontology, like Berkovitz and Shellis’ The Teeth of
The latter is the focus of this book. Great advances have Mammalian Vertebrates (2018), nor a historical treatise on
been made in the practice of dentistry in domestic animals comparative dental pathology, like Colyer’s Variations and
over the past decades. Zoo and wild animals should also Diseases of the Teeth of Animals (1936), it is a very practical
benefit from these advances. There is no reason to believe compilation of the authors’ many years of clinical experi-
that pain of dental origin, be it acute or chronic, is any less ence treating dental problems in captive wild animals.
severe and debilitating in animals than it is in humans, Veterinary dentists may get called upon to see one of a
greatly affecting their quality of life. The basic premise of species once in their career. The authors of this text have
being a veterinarian is to prevent and address pain in ani- seen at least one case of the diseases and species described,
mals entrusted to our care. The stakes and challenges are and have generously shared their experience with their
particularly high in zoo and wildlife dentistry. Even under readers.
the best of circumstances and with the best of intentions of
the care‐takers, captivity of wild animals typically is associ- Frank J. M. Verstraete
ated with unphysiological conditions in terms of environ- DrMedVet BVSc MMedVet Dipl AVDC Dipl EVDC Dipl
ment and diet. Wild animals in captivity must be housed in ECVS AVDC‐ZWD FF‐AVDC‐OMFS
safe facilities – unfortunately, the combination of fences
and boredom can cause significant dental injury. The Professor of Dentistry and Oral Surgery
human‐animal bond in this case has two components: the Department of Surgical and Radiological Sciences
zoo’s animal care‐taker has a very strong personal bond School of Veterinary Medicine
while the zoo’s administration and the public typically University of California—Davis
xv
AboutPeterEmily
art of case assessment and therapeutic planning is the result
of many more years of astute observation and creative appli-
cation of those technical skills. These skills are never needed
more than when dealing with the complex problems of large
and small wildlife mammals and birds that are the residents
of sanctuaries, zoos, and the natural habitats throughout the
world. This is where Peter Emily excels, and this is where he
is most comfortable.
1982
For eight years people who knew of both Pete and my inter-
est in veterinary dentistry kept telling us we should meet
and finally we did. It was in November, 1982. Peter was a
certified national dog show judge. He performed dentistry
on dogs and cats and sometimes on the animals at the
Figure1 Ed Eisner and Peter Emily, on Mulholland Drive,
Burbank, CA USA, after completing a Dental Rescue in southern Denver Zoo, Denver, Colorado USA. In 1982, at the inaugu-
California, USA, 2009. ration of the new animal hospital at the Denver Zoo, some-
one who knew both Pete and I, spotted us at the soiree and
Peter Emily, a practicing dentist for people, has studied com- introduced us to each other. That was the beginning of a
parative odontology and has a passion for helping improve many‐decade friendship. In February of 1983, Peter and I
the oral health of wild, as well as pet animals since 1969. He travelled together to the Western States Veterinary
has dedicated decades of his life to improving oral health and Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada where the American
comfort, especially for captive animals; animals that have Veterinary Dental Society was having one of its first meet-
been rescued from abusive, illegal, or financially unsustain- ings. A few of the pioneers of the veterinary dental evolu-
able situations and placed in “retirement facilities,” sanctuar- tion, Gary Beard, Ben Colmery, Tom Mulligan, Don Ross,
ies where they can safely live the rest of their life to the fullest. and Chuck Williams, were delivering dental presentations.
He was my mentor, providing me with a dental education far Peter and I had found our home; people who spoke our
exceeding any the finest veterinary schools had to offer in the language. These were not the only people dabbling in vet-
1980s and beyond. I will always be indebted to Peter for erinary dentistry at the time, but they were among the first.
teaching me the technical nuances of dental practice, but Bob Wiggs, Colin Harvey, Sandra Manfra Marretta, Keith
even more so for the many dental insights that help elevate a Grove, Steve Holmstrom, Ron Gammon, Gary Goldstein,
good dental practice to that of one providing exceptional out- Ken Lyon, and Chris Visser were also among the pioneers.
comes. The key to his brilliance and the value of his teachings They and Pete and I all bonded quickly. We all felt the call-
has, even more than the technical education, been the shar- ing, we were all accomplished photographers and could
ing of the art of case assessment and treatment planning. The share our work visually, we all didn’t mind travelling to
technical aspect of good dentistry is a cookbook science, spread the word, and we all knew that we had something
achievable in several years of diligent study. The successful important to give to veterinary medicine.
