Dr Tara Gatehouse

07/08/2023

It has been a long time since I’ve posted here but I thought I’d share what I’ve been up to!

Late last year I unfortunately had to leave the beautiful Currumbin Wildlife Hospital on the Gold Coast to move to Perth to be closer to family.

Since then though I have found this amazing place to work - The Unusual Pet Vets in Murdoch!

Look forward to me sharing some more of what we do everyday 😊❤️🩺

02/08/2022

Baby season has started! 🐣

These northern brown bandicoots were found on the road with the mother, who had unfortunately been hit by a car 😢

They each had a full work up with X-rays and were found to be uninjures before being transferred to a licensed wildlife carer for hand raising 🥰

This little trio were all female 💕 how cute are their little noses 🥰

11/02/2022

Today, koalas have been downgraded in status from vulnerable to endangered in QLD, NSW and the ACT.

This has left me with mixed emotions as on one hand, it is heartbreaking that their presence in the wild has dwindled so much to this point just within my life time. On the other, this will hopefully lead to many more protections for them and their habitat, and more funding for research to help combat disease, the biggest reason for their continued demise in SE QLD.

I grew up and now still live within the Redlands in SE QLD and remember as a child being kept up at night by grunting koalas, being urinated on just walking down the street and having them wander into classrooms occasionally at school. Just within the last 20 years, there has been a significant drop in this area due to rapid overdevelopment and lack of protections. This is the result.

The other big threats to this iconic species are vehicle hits and dog attacks. Some we can get through their injuries, others we can’t. Pictured is Clarence, a young mum who was attacked by two dogs and sustained a fractured leg. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, she sudden passed as a result of this injury. She is one of the ones I will never forget as she seemed to be going so well for weeks prior to her passing.

Koalas have so far been one of the most heartbreaking species to treat, but one of the most rewarding when you can get them out the other side.

We have to do more; do better.

09/11/2021

Whispered a funny joke in my ear 🐍 📸

12/09/2021

12/09/2021

14/08/2021

Happy world lizard day! 🦎💕

What is you favourite species of lizard? 😊 comment below! ✨

29/07/2021

How many hooks can you see? 😢 ❌content may be graphic for some viewers❌

There has been a huge increase in the number of hook and fishing tackle related injuries over the last month. Almost every day we admit an animal that has a hook injury, ingested a hook or become entangled in discarded fishing line. 🎣

There are a few things you can do to make you fishing practices responsible!
🐟 take away any tackle and discard appropriately
🐟 don’t cast your line in an area where birds or other animals are congregating
🐟 don’t feed wild animals in areas where fishing occurs - this encourages them to congregate and puts them at risk of ingestion of hooks
🐟 if you do hook an animal - DON’T CUT THE LINE ❌ it is ALWAYS a better outcome for the animal when dealing with acute injuries and ingestion.

If you see an animal with fishing tackle or in distress, in South-East QLD please call on 07 5527 2444 or your local seabird rescue so they can catch and deliver them to us! 💚

29/07/2021

How many hooks can you see? 😢

There has been a huge increase in the number of hook and fishing tackle related injuries over the last month. Almost every day we admit an animal that has a hook injury, ingested a hook or become entangled in discarded fishing line. 🎣

There are a few things you can do to make you fishing practices responsible!
🐟 take away any tackle and discard appropriately
🐟 don’t cast your line in an area where birds or other animals are congregating
🐟 don’t feed wild animals in areas where fishing occurs - this encourages them to congregate and puts them at risk of ingestion of hooks
🐟 if you do hook an animal - DON’T CUT THE LINE ❌ it is ALWAYS a better outcome for the animal when dealing with acute injuries and ingestion.

If you see an animal with fishing tackle or in distress, in South-East QLD please call on 07 5527 2444 or your local seabird rescue so they can catch and deliver them to us! 💚

12/07/2021

Check out this little nose 🥰

I’m back!! I have had the last couple of weeks away from social media because I bombarded everyone for a month 😂

I’m keen to get some great content on here for you guys 🐨

What would you like to see? Please comment below and I’ll get some regular content together 😊💚

12/06/2021

The importance of multiple views! 😱

These X-rays are from a crow who was admitted for being unable to fly. 😢 the right shoulder was slightly thickened on palpation and had reduced range of motion.

You can see in the first view that there is some swelling of the shoulder and sclerosis of the humeral head, but everything seems to otherwise be in place.

The next view is an ‘Angel wing’ view with the wings extended above the head. You can see the large fracture through the humeral head!

Trust your palpation and go searching for things that don’t feel right! 😊

15 days left of internship 💚

@ Currumbin Wildlife Hospital Foundation

08/06/2021

💙 Happy World Ocean Day 💙

Just like national parks help protect animals and habitats on land, marine protected areas help safeguard areas of the ocean and marine animals.💙 I am supporting the movement to protect 30% of our ocean by 2030. Will you join me? Sign in support of for : http://bit.ly/30x30WOD 🦈🦭🐋🐬🐠🦀🦑🐢

Throwback to me as a fresh faced 19 year old volunteering with these amazing creatures in the beautiful Seychelles 💚💙

19 days of internship to go 🐢
@ Curieuse Island

07/06/2021

Spent the afternoon tracking koalas as part of our vaccine trial! 😍

For the trial, healthy koalas from the Elanora region close to the hospital have been vaccinated and released with radio tracking and gps collars. Our aim is to catch up these koalas every 6 months to assess the efficacy of the vaccination. So far 2 koalas have been vaccinated and released as part of the trial with a third about to be released!! 🤩

This is really exciting as if we can use this vaccine as a preventative we can slow the spread of chlamydia within the species and safeguard their reproductive future 🥰🐨

20 days of internship to go ✨

🐨

05/06/2021

Can you guess what these guys have eaten? 🐍

I like to collect the cool radiographs of snakes that have ingested something! 😊

After the snake that ate the prayer flag the other day, what is the weirdest thing you’ve seen a snake eat?? 🐍

Comment your weird things and what you think these guys have eaten below ☺️🐍

22 days of internship to go 💕
@ Currumbin Wildlife Hospital Foundation

04/06/2021

This must have been uncomfortable! 😱

This tiny masked lapwing chick arrived to with general weakness. 😢 During our routine work up, we discovered that she had eaten a piece of metal in the shape of a pellet! 😵‍💫

I booked her in for surgery the next day, with much dread as she was so small. However, the metal needed to come out as it was likely contributing to her weakness. 😢

I personally always like to do pre-op radiographs immediately prior to surgery so I know exactly what I’m dealing with at the time of surgery. And thankfully I did! The piece of metal had disappeared! 🤩

I quickly went to search her cage and found a small brass pellet that she had managed to pass by herself overnight. 😱

Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, both of which cause weakness and lethargy in our birds, among other clinical signs. 😵‍💫 Lapwings and other ground dwelling birds often pick up things they shouldn’t, which is why it’s so important to not litter! 🐥

She was a lot brighter after passing the toxic metal, and went to foster that afternoon! 🥰

Swipe across to see her radiographs and the pellet!

23 days of internship to go! 🐣
@ Currumbin Wildlife Hospital Foundation

01/06/2021

Had the pleasure of meeting one of my childhood icons today - Dr Harry Cooper! 🤩

We spoke about the current echidna breeding season underway in Australia, and how many echidnas we are currently admitting - today we had 5 different echidnas admitted to the hospital! 😱

It’s an important time to remember to keep your dogs locked in at night and to slow down on our roads, as these are the main reasons we are seeing them come through our hospital doors 😢

Swipe across for behind the scenes filming 🎥 Stay tuned for the episode! 🤩💚

26 days of internship to go! ✨

@ Currumbin Wildlife Hospital Foundation

31/05/2021

Today is the last day of May and brings an end to Vet Nursing Awareness Month! 🤩

The aim of this month is to bring awareness to just how important our wonderful nurses are to the ongoing care of our animals 🐨💚

I absolutely could not do my job without these wonderful nurses, and the many others not pictured that I have had the pleasure of working with! 💕

Us vets appreciate your time, effort, and expertise so much! 🥰✨

27 days of internship to go! 😱


@ Currumbin Wildlife Hospital Foundation

19/05/2021

Thank you so much for following!! 💕✨ I can’t believe we have reached 1000! 😱 this page brings me so much joy and i love interacting with you all 🥰

What do you want to see posted? 😊

Swipe to see how happy this makes me ☺️ this is one of my favourite selfies from when I was volunteering in the Seychelles at 19 years old 😍

18/05/2021

Such a great day meeting MATILDA the amazing mobile wildlife hospital with 🤩🐨

This team has already done so much for our wildlife, with amazing things to come! 🥰

@ Currumbin Wildlife Hospital Foundation

14/05/2021

WEDGE-TAILED EAGLE RELEASE 🦅🤩

Yesterday and I drove 2.5 hours out to Toowoomba to release this beautiful eagle, Summer 💚

She arrived at with all of her flight feathers, tail and talons damaged. She was unable to fly or catch her own food 😢

After 6 months in rehabilitation, she was finally ready for release! 😍 In the video you can see behind the scenes of our raptor rehabilitation area as we box her up for transport 🦅

She has touched the hearts of all the staff in the time she has been in care, and we are so thrilled to see her go! 🤩💚

Thank you to Renée for organising her release and caring for her for the last 6 months! 😍💚

🎥

03/05/2021

Today is Wild Koala Day! 🐨💚

Over the last 2 years, has had over 1000 koalas admitted from the local area. 😢 the main reasons are chlamydia, vehicle strikes and dog attacks. 💔

We are currently full in the hospital with koalas, most of which require intensive treatment and nursing care. Many have unfortunately suffered from trauma and then during their work up found to also have chlamydia. Most of these koalas will be in hospital for well over 2 months.

One of the biggest issues we face is where we can safely release them once they are healed 🌱

How can you help?
🌱 plant koala food trees in your yard
🌱 keep your dogs inside at night and have safe escape routes for koalas
🌱 contact your council if you are concerned about development of areas that koalas inhabit
🌱 slow down at night when driving
🌱 if you come across a koala on the road, on the ground, or that hasn’t moved for a few days, contact your local wildlife rescue or hospital such as or

🐨 @ Currumbin Wildlife Hospital Foundation

30/04/2021

This little guy came in to after getting his leg stuck in the track of a door 😢 On X-ray we found that he had a complete tibial fracture ✖️

It was severely displaced and not able to be reduced without surgery 😱 During the surgery I found that the distal fragment had punctured through one of the muscles in the leg 😢

Thankfully the surgery was a success and the fracture was successfully pinned! 🥰

The week following he developed some major post surgical swelling of his foot. This resulted in some necrosis of the tip of one of his toes, which then required amputation. This surgery went well, but unfortunately he passed in recovery 😢

This case was a huge lesson for me and the whole team in managing from anaesthesia, surgery, and post operative care 🐸 There is still not a lot known about the best analgesia for these guys, so he was on many different medications pre and post operatively to keep him comfortable.

I had invested a lot of emotional energy into this little froggy and was devastated when he didn’t make it 😢 Although with all that we have learned from his case, we are better prepared for the next one that comes in! 🥰 I love being able to give each and every animal the chance to be released back into the wild and being able to share them with you guys! So grateful to work where I do 💚

Shot with 🎥

29/04/2021

I want to share one of the COOLEST things I’ve got to do in my veterinary career 🤩🐸

Long story short - frog orthopaedics! 🙌

This little guy ended up being really close to my heart and it was a huge team effort to get him through his procedure 💕

Keep an eye out for my post tomorrow with my video of the surgery using the new hospital GoPro! 🎥

24/04/2021

HAPPY WORLD VET DAY 👩🏻‍⚕️🌏💕

I am so grateful to work with such an amazing team of vets at with over 91 years of cumulative vet experience 🙌🎉 (I contribute a whole year to this total 😂)

It is so great for me as a recent graduate to have such a huge knowledge base to draw on with each difficult case 🥰 I have learned so much in the 10 months I have been here and look forward to continuing to learn and grow my skills! 🤩

Pic: .tl and I heading to get browse for a glider in hospital ☺️

22/04/2021

HAPPY EARTH DAY 🌏💕

Avocado here was found on the ground after being displaced from her nest hollow because of development 😢

This earth day, look out for local efforts that you can do to help protect our environment 🥰

Things you can do that are super easy! 🙌
1. Pick up litter in your area
2. Switch to a reusable water bottle to reduce plastic waste
3. Use programs like to recycle your bottles and for soft plastics
4. Slow down and keep an eye out for wildlife on the road at dusk and dawn

Avocado is now in care with a licensed wildlife carer! 🥰

19/04/2021

Marley got released today! 🤩🥰

This special boy has touched my heart many times over the last 2 months of his treatment ❤️ he arrived thin and suffering from terrible cystitis due to chlamydia.

Throughout his treatment, he developed other problems including dysbiosis and pneumonia 😢 I thought at that point that he was going to succumb to his disease, with not enough body condition to support his healing 💔

After a week of intensive treatment, his lungs cleared and his cough stopped 😍 he started eating more and gaining weight and his bladder improved, and a few weeks ago he was cleared of chlamydia 🙌

He has now been released with an extra 1.5kg of fuzzy love than what he arrived with, disease free and also vaccinated against chlamydia! 🤩

This is such a win, as many times koalas arrive too far gone to help, even with our best efforts 😢 after a few weeks of stressful patients requiring intensive treatment and a lot of emotional energy, I am SO HAPPY that Marley is back where he belongs 🥰


🐨 @ Currumbin Wildlife Hospital Foundation

18/04/2021

Little Peanut 🥰

Peanut and his mum, Brittle, came in a few months ago as his mum had unfortunately contracted chlamydia 😢

To treat a koala for chlamydia takes a minimum of 6 weeks and costs roughly $7000. This is only if it is an uncomplicated case. Not uncommonly, koalas also present with other problems such as acute trauma from cars or dogs 😢

Since I’ve started at , these guys have become one of the most heart breaking species for me to treat. 💔 They each have their own unique personality and are such sweet animals 🥰

Spending 6 weeks seeing an animal almost every day means that you do form an emotional connection to them and their outcomes. 💕 I absolutely celebrate each and every release that we are able to do and feel so grateful to be in a position to help them 🥰🐨 @ Currumbin Wildlife Hospital Foundation

10/04/2021

Patient of the day 🥰

This cute laughing kookaburra came in yesterday with a fractured ulna 😢 so today I pinned it! 🤩

I’ve been doing a few more surgical pinnings recently, which I love 🙌 this guys surgery today ended up being really quick 😍

It’s still a long road to recovery for this little fluffball, but I like to revel in the little wins like this to keep me going 🥰

06/04/2021

Smiles all round 🥰

06/04/2021

Channel Billed Cuckoo 😮

Did you know these are the world’s largest avian brood parasite and migrate from New Guinea to Australia each year to breed 🐣 A brood parasite is a bird that lays its eggs in the nest of another bird 🥚 the new foster parents then go on to raise the young! 🐥 in some cases the baby cuckoos out compete the parent’s own offspring! 😱

This is actually a juvenile that came in to at the start of this year 🥰 the juveniles migrate north to New Guinea in February/March ❤️ how pretty are the feathers! 😍

Foster parents of this species are usually Australian Magpies, Pied Currawongs and Crows! 😮
@ Currumbin Wildlife Hospital Foundation