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29/11/2011

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_ } We were called to rescue a small koala sitting on the side of the road... When we got there we found a “back baby” ( one that is not yet old enough to leave its mother, too big to fit into the pouch, not yet weaned ).. With eyes fused shut and undernourished... The people who called us has already put a washing basket over her, so that rescue involved picking her up and putting her in my basket J..

The callers knew that the best thing to do to calm the koala was put a basket over it with a towel  covering.... as they had attended a rescue the week before and where told this information .. this  fellow went straight out and put a basket in his boot.. J.. Amazing...

As this baby was obviously suffering from Chlamydia, we looked for a mum.. We didn’t have to look too far. She was up a nearby tree and baby must not have been strong enough to hold on as she climbed...

This baby would not have lasted the night if these people had not cared enough to stop.. (it was late evening, on a very busy road and on a dangerous corner). THANK YOU !

Mum was also rescued and both taken to be assessed..

They were both very sick....

Kath (the, mother, a mature adult ?10 years).. Weight:

Had very bad “wet bottom” and conjunctivitis, was dehydrated and malnourished.. She was offered leaf but only ate a little..She was given a supplementary feed and devoured it.. as she had never been given this before, the carer and Kath wore a reasonable amount... she was obviously starving... L.She was then given subcutaneous  fluids to help rehydrate her.. She was then left in a basket, left open in a cot with lots of delicious leaf around it.. it had been a stressful evening for her so we didn’t want to put her through any more than necessary..

Kimmie.. Weight 1.7 kg

Both eyes were fused so we cleaned them .. Koalas don’t mind when you do this the first few times as the worm water on such sore eyes is very soothing.. She has a VERY bad cough which ,at times was productive.. She was put on a nebulizer for this... She was also very listless....

Once we offered her leaf she hardly stopped eating.. both soft tips and hard leaf.. poor thing, goodness knows when she last ate leaf and I suspect Kath had stopped producing milk as she was so sick...Kimmie was put in the cot with her mum for the night..




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30/11/2011

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_ KATH  Still not eating much leaf.. has worked out that if she slows down she actually gets more of her supplementary feed. We washed her bottom in a small  tub of warm water and she was quite happy to sit for a while.. apart from the odor, it burns and causes ulcers.. Kath had two small areas that had ulcerated which we treated..

KIMMIE had eaten well over night. She seemed to be a little stronger.. Her eyes were fused again and the cough sounded awful, producing yellow mucus. L Spoke to the vet on the phone and started her on antibiotics immediately...


2/12/2011

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_  Taken to the vet, Don Hudson Noah’s Ark, today....

 Continue Kimmies treatment..

Start Kath on antibiotics, keep rehydrating, supp feeds etc. His prognosis for Kath is poor...

While they were at the vets they had their photo taken with Don for the paper..




4/12/11

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_ Kath.. Weight: 5.83 kg.. does not moved out of her basket ,so we physically put onto log in cot.. she was able to hold on but, again, she did not move..She is having charcoal caps,sub cut saline, supp feeds and poo shakes..( yes.. it is what you think, a koala needs the bacteria in their stomach to be able to eat the eucalyptus leaf.. if they don’t keep eating leaf this dies doesn’t eat  

We have made the decision to separate mum and baby, so that mum doesn’t have to have a baby crawling all over her when she is sooooo sick.

.Kimmie ... Weight 2.1 kg.. is not suckling. They are in cots next to each other and Kimmie has access to Kath via a log that goes from one cage to another.... She loves to climb and is still eating ..loves her milk, cough getting better .. mucus much less..

This has not worried either one....


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7/12/11

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_ KATH... Weight: 5.1kg taken to vet Don Hudson for ultrasound of bladder.. ( Chlamydia thickens the bladder walls..) Result.. there was no urine in the bladder..Bladder wall 5cm.. This is not good as it means she is unable to hold any urine and it just keeps dripping.... We hope antibiotics will revert this.... Prognosis at this time still not good...

WE have put Kath into a cage to see if she will move around a bit more...


12/12/2011

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_  It is with a heavy heart that I write this post..

Kaths condition continued to deteriorate .. the cage did not lift her spirits.. We did everything we could to make her well but it was not to be...

To save her from anymore suffering Kath was euthanized .... They did a post mortum and it showed an ovarian abscess, ? cancer in her kidney.. very thickened bladder wall...

I hate to think what an awful death she would have had if they hadn’t been seen on the road.. RIP Lovely Lady...


14/12/11

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_ Kimmie weight 2.4kg

Still eating everything in sight.. does not like having her eyes done..Nebulizer stopped.. Still having antibiotics.. (21days!).


28/12/11

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_  Went to the vet and got the “all clear”.. Microchipped...  Off the antibiotics and is now being weaned.... should be in the re-hab in about 10 days..


4/1/12

_ Kimmies Weight now 2.55 kg pleasing gain.. ready to go in rehab ( that is still being built..)

8/1/12

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_  Kimmie is now in the rehab.. Weight 2.56 kg..


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29/1/2012

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Little Kimmie (pixie boots) was released today after 2 months
in care. She came in with chlamydia of her eyes and severe respiratory
distress with mucous running from her nose weighing 1700 grams. And went out
today healthy and beautiful at a whopping 2.72kg . She was released in Geoff
& Betty's back yard at One Mile in a thick clump of Swampys with a
Terratecornis growng up through the middle of them. Fran will probably have
better photos than these. She went up really quick and the bush was quite
thick making it difficult to get a clear shot of her.

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21/2/2012

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GUESS WHO WAS SPOTTED AT THE SAME TREE SHE WAS RELEASED IN !!
GEOFF AND BETTY TOOK THIS PHOTO LATE AFTERNOON
LOOKS LIKE SHES DOING WELL

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