All creatures great and small Dundee vet helps bear with a sore tooth

A Dundee vet had a special client this week as he helped a bear with toothache.

Parkside vet Alistair Crozier was one of a team of vets including a specialist dentist and anaesthetist called to Camperdown to help Comet, one of the two brown bears at the wildlife centre.

Comet had an abscess and needed root canal treatment on two of his canine teeth a procedure which involved putting him under anaesthetic and took all day to complete.

Alistair said: “It is always fraught giving anaesthetics to wild animals. They are not as used to being handled as domestic pets, so their stress levels are higher.”

He added that he “knew he was OK” after Comet woke up.