Taree Veterinary Hospital

15/10/2026

🐨 FUN FACT FRIDAY!

The Koala 🐨

🐨 Their fingerprints have distinctive patterns that can look remarkably human-like.
🐨 Each front paw has two opposable thumbs that give koalas a powerful, vice-like grip for climbing trees.
🐨 Their closest relative is the wombat, and koalas share a similarly tough, cartilaginous rear end that lets them wedge comfortably in tree forks for hours.
🐨 Koalas are iconic Australian marsupials famous for sleeping up to 18 to 22 hours a day and eating a specialised diet of eucalyptus leaves.

Diet and Digestion 🌳
🌳 The word "koala" comes from an Indigenous Darug word meaning "no water" because they get most of their hydration directly from the eucalyptus leaves they eat.
🌳 Eucalyptus leaves are toxic to most animals, but koalas use a long specialised digestive organ called a caecum filled with special bacteria to break down the tough fibres and poisons.
🌳 Out of more than 700 eucalyptus species, koalas will only eat a small fraction, using their sensitive black noses to sniff out the most nutritious leaves.

Behaviour and Life 🐨
🐨 Despite usually being quiet and solitary, male koalas can make a shockingly loud, deep bellowing or grunting noise during breeding season that carries for kilometres.
🐨 Newborn joeys are blind, earless, hairless, and no bigger than a jellybean when they crawl up into the mother's pouch.

Another reason Australian wildlife never stops amazing us! 🐨

If you see a sick or injured Koala please contact Christine & Paul Koalas In Care Inc.
0439 406 770

13/10/2026

🎉 Congratulations to Cooper and Buddy! 🐾

Throughout September, we ran a special promotion for our clients whose dogs receive Synovan injections, helping support joint health and mobility for pets living with arthritis. 💙

We’re excited to announce that Cooper and Buddy are the lucky winners of our two giveaway packs! 🎁

Each pack includes a stylish Frank Green drink bottle, a water bowl, and poo bags with a handy carrier — perfect for adventures with their humans. 🐶💧

Thank you to everyone who participated in our September promotion. We hope these goodies help Cooper and Buddy enjoy many more happy adventures!

🐾💙 Congratulations again, Cooper and Buddy!

12/10/2026

Heat stress in dogs 🐶

Heat stress occurs when a dog’s body cannot cool itself quickly enough. It can progress to heatstroke, which is a life-threatening emergency. Dogs can overheat on warm days, during exercise, in humid weather, or even in a parked car.

🔴 Signs of heat stress to watch for:

▪️ Early warning signs
▪️ Heavy, rapid panting
▪️ Excessive drooling
▪️ Restlessness or seeking shade
▪️ Red, bright pink or unusually dark gums
▪️ Drinking excessively or seeming uncomfortable

🔴 Danger signs — emergency

▪️ Weakness, stumbling or collapse
▪️ Vomiting or diarrhoea
▪️ Confusion or reduced responsiveness
▪️ Thick, sticky saliva
▪️ Seizures or difficulty breathing
▪️ Very dark, pale or blue gums

Important: A dog does not need to be extremely hot to the touch to have heatstroke. Do not wait for all the symptoms to appear.

🔴 What to do if your dog is overheating:

1. Move your dog somewhere cool
Get them into shade, an air-conditioned room or a well-ventilated area.

2. Start cooling immediately
Wet the coat and skin with cool tap water, especially around the belly, groin and neck. Use a fan or air conditioning to improve cooling. Avoid ice baths and ice-cold water.

3. Offer small amounts of water
Allow your dog to drink if alert and able to swallow. Never force water into their mouth.

4. Contact a vet immediately
Suspected heatstroke requires urgent veterinary attention, even if your dog seems to recover after cooling. Continue cooling while arranging transport, and follow your vet's instructions.

🔴 Which dogs are most at risk?

▪️ Flat-faced breeds, such as Bulldogs, Pugs and French Bulldogs.
▪️ Older dogs and puppies.
▪️ Overweight dogs.
▪️ Dogs with thick coats or heart and breathing conditions.
▪️ Dogs exercising vigorously in hot or humid weather.

🔴 How to prevent heat stress:

▪️ Provide constant access to fresh water and shade.
▪️ Keep dogs indoors in a cool area during extreme heat.
▪️ Walk early in the morning or late in the evening.
▪️ Test the pavement with the back of your hand for five seconds before walking.
▪️ Never leave a dog unattended in a parked car, even with windows open.

If you suspect your dog has heatstroke, please contact/take your dog to your local Vet immediately!!

12/10/2026

⚠️ TICK PREVENTION REMINDER! 🐾

Please make sure your pets are up to date with their tick prevention!

We had 4 walk-ins yesterday with paralysis ticks 😟 These ticks can be life-threatening and can cause serious illness in both dogs and cats.

✅ Check that your pet’s tick prevention is up to date.
✅ Check your pets daily for ticks, even if they are on prevention.
✅ If you notice any signs of tick paralysis, such as weakness, wobbliness, vomiting or difficulty breathing, seek veterinary attention immediately.

🐶🐱 Prevention is always better than cure!

Please don’t wait until it’s too late. Keep your precious pets safe! ❤️

Please share to help spread the word! 🐾

11/10/2026

We can help, all of us.

We are a licensed volunteer wildlife rescue & rehabilitation group operating in NSW's mid-north coast
Licence no. MWL000100327

09/10/2026

FAWNA is aware that many people are finding deceased Grey-headed Flying-Foxes low in their gardens. Some of course are being found dead on the ground.
We truly understand that this is distressing and difficult to deal with. Before disposing of any dead flying-foxes though please check for pups, they are usually folded under their mother's wings, often still attached to her teat in her wing-pit.
If you do find an alive pup, please try and protect both from fly strike by putting a towel or other soft cloth over them & call FAWNA on 65814141 immediately. You can also pick up a dead mother gently with gloves or a towel or similar and put in a container such as a shoebox.
Every flying-fox we can save at this time is important.

This little one was found still clinging under her dead mother's wing.

08/10/2026

🐦 Fun Fact Friday! 🦴

Did you know that birds have hollow bones?

But there’s a twist! 🧐 Their bones aren’t simply “empty” — many contain internal struts that make them **strong yet lightweight**. This helps birds keep their weight down for flight.

🦅 Even some flightless birds have lightweight bones, although the degree of hollowness varies between species.

Birds also have a unique respiratory system with air sacs that help move air through their lungs very efficiently — allowing them to get plenty of oxygen during flight!

Not all birds have them:
Diving birds like penguins, loons, and puffins lack bones entirely, having heavier, marrow-filled bones that help them sink and maneuver underwater. 💦

🐾 From tiny budgies to enormous emus, nature has some amazing designs!

08/10/2026

🐾❤️ Happy Vet Nurse Day ❤️🐾

Today we celebrate the amazing vet nurses who give so much of themselves to the animals they care for.

Being a vet nurse is so much more than a job. It’s holding a scared little patient close when they’re frightened, staying beside them when they’re sick, celebrating when they take their first steps towards recovery, and sometimes shedding a tear when the outcome isn’t what we had hoped for.

It’s the long days, the late nights, the messy moments, the endless cleaning, the anxious phone calls and the countless little things that often go unseen — all because you genuinely care. ❤️

Our vet nurses become a voice for those who cannot speak, a source of comfort when animals are scared, and a shoulder for their families when things are difficult. They give their hearts to every patient, whether it’s a beloved old companion, a tiny newborn or a frightened stray.

To our wonderful vet nurses, thank you. Thank you for your kindness, your patience, your compassion and your incredible dedication. Thank you for loving our patients as though they were your own and for being there through both the happy endings and the heartbreaking moments.

We are so incredibly lucky to have you as part of our team. You make a difference every single day — to our patients, their families and to all of us. 🐾💕

Happy Vet Nurse Day to some truly extraordinary people. You are appreciated, valued and loved more than you know. ❤️🐶🐱

Thank you to April, Kirra, Lyndal, Zoe, Lauren, Nerida, Cassie, Linley, Natalie, Hayley, Tori, Kaylah, Sharie, Isobel and trainee Isabella.

07/10/2026

We are a licensed volunteer wildlife rescue & rehabilitation group operating in NSW's mid-north coast
Licence no. MWL000100327

06/10/2026

🦇 Why Our Local Bats Matter 🌿

Bats are often misunderstood, but they play an incredibly important role in our local environment. These amazing little creatures are a vital part of a healthy ecosystem and deserve our protection.

🌸 They help pollinate plants – Some Australian bats are important pollinators, helping native plants, flowers and trees reproduce.

🌱 They spread seeds – As they travel and feed on fruit, bats help disperse seeds, contributing to the regeneration of native forests and bushland.

🦟 They help control insects – Insect-eating bats can consume huge numbers of insects, including mosquitoes and other pests, providing a natural form of pest control.

🌳 They support biodiversity – Healthy bat populations are an important part of a balanced ecosystem. When bats thrive, it can be a sign that our local environment is healthy too.

Unfortunately, bats face threats including habitat loss, extreme weather, entanglement and human misunderstanding.

The next time you see a bat flying overhead at dusk, remember that you're looking at an important member of our local wildlife community. 🖤

Let's learn to appreciate, protect and coexist with our amazing local bats. 🦇🌿

FAWNA volunteers are responding to large numbers of call-outs, day & night, to Grey-headed Flying-Foxes, those essential forest pollinators and endangered, protected species.
It seems there is a mass starvation event happening causing many adults to fall to the ground, to be found low in people's gardens, or to cause pregnant females to give birth prematurely to pups too weak to hang-on and survive.
Possible reasons for this are unclear but too early flowering of their essential blossom trees due to the warm winter, loss of nectar because of rain events and ,of course, habitat loss are all probable.
If you do see distressed or injured Flying-Foxes, or alive premature pups, please keep dogs and cats away, cover with a towel or cloth and call FAWNA as soon as possible on: 65814141.
Because so many calls are coming in it may take a little time to respond to you but we will.
This Image is of one of the many little premature pups found by members of the public. She is only a couple of days old but so far doing well.