At the Koala Hospital (and across the country) relieving animals of severe pain is a major component of what we do.Īs a specialist folivore, koalas have evolved to cope with the toxic compounds found in eucalypt leaf by a number of mechanisms.
If during this assessment the internal structural damage is so advanced, that the future quality of life for the koala is very poor then the kindest thing to do from an animal welfare perspective is to euthanase the koala whilst it is under anaesthesia. Much of how koalas respond to this disease is driven by genetics, soil quality and soil moisture/nutritional status of trees, multiple pressures from disturbance of habitats, climatic conditions and how virulent the actual strain of the disease is in the area they live. Some koalas become infected for the first time and become so diseased, they deteriorate and die in a matter of weeks. Every time a koala becomes sick, more structural damage is done internally, no matter how well they may appear. Whilst the disease chlamydia does not favour either sex and will happily infect both male and female koalas alike, the female koala has “more plumbing” to deal with and therefore more complications can arise. Urinary and reproductive tract infection is a much more complex scenario.
Koala wet full#
This is done under anaesthesia with the koala given a full physical assessment, blood tests are done and a PCR swab (Polymerase chain reaction which detects chlamydia cells) and finally an ultrasound to check the urogenital tract and other internal organs that may be affected by this disease. When koalas are first admitted into the hospital, they undergo a full health screen examination. This sort of damage is simply not treatable with drugs and is both incredibly painful for the koala and distressing for the human carer to witness. The internal wall of the bladder can also become so inflamed and swollen, the koala continually passes blood and purulent material. In advanced stages the koala is rendered blind and they usually starve to death as they are unable to locate trees.In an urogenital chlamydia infected koala the wall of the bladder can become so thickened and fibrotic that it becomes ineffective in both holding and expelling urine – the koala becomes incontinent and continually drips urine hence the term “wet bottom” to describe a sick koala. As the disease progresses, it can invade the cornea (the front of the eye itself) and/or the conjunctival tissue creates an inflammatory response where the tissue becomes so swollen and prolific it completely covers the eye and the koala is unable to see. It becomes red and inflamed, the tissue begins to swell and a purulent (pus filled) discharge can often commence. Some koalas can appear quite healthy with no clinical signs of the disease but can still carry the pathogen (sub-clinical) and may never become unwell during their lifetime.In the ocular (eye) form of this disease the conjunctiva of the eye is normally the first point of noticeable infection. Chlamydia can exhibit as ocular disease (infecting the eyes) or the urogenital form (infecting the reproductive tract and the urinary tract) or koalas can exhibit both at the same time.
0 kommentar(er)
