September and August update on Ray
August 2026 Update
Ray in July finally got it to see Dr Howard Ralph whom has been out of action due to sever health issues for 9 months! Ray was deemed critical By Dr Ralph still after coming into care in April, he was beyond critical then. Many wounds are all healed, no mange and a weight grain of close to 8 kg taking him to 22kgs. Finally getting under general anasetic wounds explored and cleaned, cultures taken, bloods, xrays, and shaved off some dry crusts and scabs (hyperkeratosis) a post mange issue.
Finally cultures back and the two remaining wounds and bone with 3 unusual bacteria we now had the final antibiotics to help the last two heal up, they had come along way already. He is not keen at all taking oral medication or various vitamin and children's iron supplements, he might eat it on grass one day but not the next. get him when he's asleep and groggy awake and we get success, you cannot wrestle a 22kg wombat into a headlock to slip a syringe into the side of his mouth with medication, you dont want him too stressed, ive tried cocktails of meds (tasted by me of course!) as the cherry flavoured iron suppliment helps flavour, but just like a wombat only drank it once.
He's still on pain relief and he communicates by banging his box, wanting more grass, water, sweet patato or kangaroo pelets and if all that dose not work a scratch around the ears dose the trick generally. He's in side in our little joey enclosure with hay filled box attached and is generally only awake 4-6 hrs a day starting mid afternoon. Hay is changed, and pen cleaned when he's awake, heater on 24/7 to keep him at the right temp in this cold weather, snowflakes yesterday here.
September 2026 update
Ray's wounds are almost completely healed. His bone infection is fully treated and while we wait the final week's for the small hole to finally heal and the nights to increase in warmth from 3-4 degress c and he will be moved out to the Joey wombatorium. We have yet to build a new starter burrow for him here as well as in the huge macropod (kangaroo wallaby) enclosure of around 900 sqm. He will spend the summer here, safe while he completely rebuilds his muscle mass especially in his left leg before we will start a soft release from there again. We don't do soft releases into a potentialy bad drought and therefor bushfire season. He needs and deserves the best chance we can give him.