Surgery on A White Tiger

In December 2018 we saw Vishnu, a ten-year-old White Tiger who came to ACCESS Specialty Animal Hospital, San Fernando Valley, after his sanctuary found a cancerous mass in his right ear.
He arrived at the hospital sedated and came with his crew comprised of his veterinarian, a Registered Veterinary Technician, the sanctuary founder, and the founder’s right-hand man. It took nine people to lift the 485lb Tiger out of the truck and get him on our gurney. From there, he was brought through our lobby and into the treatment area, where we quickly realized the gurney with Tiger board would not fit around the corners in our hallway. Thinking quickly, he was moved to a cargo net and carried to our Neurology Department.
Board-certified surgeon, Dr. Yonathan Buks, worked with his team and the Neuro team to put Vishnu under anesthesia and lift him onto the table to position him for an MRI. Abel, one of our MRI technicians, scanned Vishnu’s head to give Dr. Buks a better idea of what the mass looked like and where it was located.
Dr. Jeremy O’Neill, a board-certified Neurologist, oversaw the MRI and interpreted the images to help Dr. Buks diagnose the issue. Vishnu was then carried into one of our operating rooms where Dr. Buks and the team removed the mass and closed using absorbable sutures that will dissolve over time, so Vishnu doesn’t have to go under anesthesia again to have them removed.
After surgery, he was sent home with all of the regular medications a patient might get after surgery, but in super-size doses suitable for a cat of his size. Everyone worked together to get him safely and comfortably back into his cage and into the truck. He went home and woke up from anesthesia without any issues and was even up and walking around later that day.
Please note: wild animals are never to be kept as pets. Vishnu is part of a wildlife sanctuary and is cared for by a team of licensed professionals that understand the needs of such a large and endangered species.