Cruz

A gentleman was on his way home to Denmark when he stopped to check a dead kangaroo on the side of the road and removed a joey from her pouch.  As he was leaving for 8 weeks to the Middle East he took this little boy to the vet and asked if they could find a temporary home for him and he would be happy to be his carer when he returned.
I got the call and thought I could do this for 8 weeks, even though I already had Charlie, Coco and Caree in care.

Enter into my life and heart 'Cruz'

He was a real teddy bear and a bed hopper, loving nothing more than to cuddle up in bed with one of his new buddies.  He loved his Mummy cuddles and fitted into our lives perfectly.

(L to R  Cruz, Coco, Caree, Charlie)

After 8 weeks came the phone call, telling us his rescuer had returned and was happy to take Cruz.  After explaing that Cruz was really happy in his new mob and I would feel blessed to continue being his Mummy, he was more than happy to leave Cruz with me.  He was just making good on his promise.  Bless his heart.

The 4 grew up together and I loved being their Mummy.  They all bonded very well together but Charlie and Cruz really had a very special bond.

The 4 grew up and started spending time in 'The Pen' until they were all old enough to be there full time with 2 daily visits from Mum.  The  idea was to release them into 300 acres there, together with 7 other joeys from various carers, but plans changed when we were told to leave the property.  Thankfully by that time I knew I was moving to this beautiful property in Tenterden and able to take all 8 of my joeys with me to self release.

On 23 November Cruz was not home for breakfast and an hour later I saw him waiting at the gate wanting to come in.  I didn't notice anything wrong with him, he went to his food and water and took off with the rest of the mob for the day.  The next day I could see there was something very wrong with his arm.  I was shocked to see he had ripped his arm from wrist to elbow with both bones completely exposed.  We believe his arm ripped on a barb wire fence.

I called Dr Paul from Great Southern Veterinary Services (a mobile vet) who came right away.  He assessed the injury and told me it was at least 36 hours old and too late to stitch.  He carried Cruz into the pen, he was sedated and for the next 2 hours Dr Paul worked on the injury, cleaning it as the flies had already taken residence and it was full of dirt etc.  My daughter Joslyn came and assisted the vet.  Cruz was bandaged up and we stayed with him till the sedative wore off to ensure he didnt bolt.  Dr Paul told me that we had a 30% chance to save Cruz's arm from amputation but the percentage for him getting stress myopathy was extremely high. He had also torn the tendons to his fingers and only had movement in 2 of his fingers. I knew at that moment I had to step up and do what ever it took to save my boy and his arm.

His buddy Charlie stayed with Cruz 24/7 for the first 4 weeks.  Every afternoon at 5pm he would wait at the gate and join Cruz in the pen for the night.  In the mornings he would spend a little time joining the others for breakfast and then spend the rest of the day on the other side of the fence right next to Cruz.  I believe Charlie's devotion to his buddy is what pulled Cruz without sucumbing to myopathy.  A couple of times a week the rest of his mob joined him for treats. A HUGE thank you to North road Supa IGA for providing a weekly box of treats for the joeys which meant Cruz never lost contact with his mob, this was so important for his mental and emotional well-being. 

My job was to take care of the medical and smother him in Mummy love.  Bandage changes every day to start, gradually being able to increase the time between changes.  So important to keep the wound clean, so difficult with an adult roo who loves black dirt.  It was also hot and the flies were bad.  

Becki would come online while I did the bandage changes and talk to Cruz and calm and comfort him while I changed his dressings.  After 2 weeks it became obvious that Cruz using his arm was hindering the healing so I had to make a splint for his arm so he could use that as a crutch and take the pressure of the wound.

Dr Paul was absolutely amazing, I would report to him after every dressing change.  He was so encouraging and patient,   spending whatever time I needed to ensure I was doing everything 100% correctly.

After 4 weeks I was finding Cruz's splint in the pen during my morning visits to him.  He was feeling much better and started sparing with Charlie, so Charlie needed to be removed from the pen.  Rosie took his place, she was not as willing, but the two of them developed a special bond.

One morning I went to the pen and Cruz was missing, he had jumped the fence and joined the mob for breakfast.  I panicked, how was I going to get him back in there, he wasn't going in voluntarily.  So I grabbed his large pouch, he rolled in and I carried him (all 40kg) back to the pen.  Super human strength and praying the whole way, God you have to help me get him back to the pen.  This happened a few more times, and on 10 January I did not have the strength anymore to carry him back, so his splint was removed and a light bandage put on his arm.

He was so happy to be out and back with his buddies.  I am so happy that he continues to heal.  I honestly believe that at that point his emotional health was just as important as his physical.  He was getting really unhappy and crying a lot as he watched his mob running free.  I spent hours in the pen with him, but was no substitute for his buddies.  Another issue was noise as the roos instinct is to flight when scared and Cruz was unable to, so would get extremely stressed pacing and running up and down the fence line and it would sometimes take more than an hour to talk him down to a calm state again.  This meant that he could never be left alone as I needed to be here to monitor him at all times.

The morning after Cruz's self release from the pen, I found these two sparing, ever so gently.  Charlie knew he needed to be careful with his buddy.  The excitement in both their eyes as they faced each other, doing what boys just love to do, had tears streaming down my face.  This is what it was all about.  This made the whole journey worth it.  Every sleepless night, every ounce of pain, every heartache, every doubt and lack of self confidence.  It was worth it and more.

Cruz's arm has continued to heal and I believe we are 99% there now.  Today he had his first day without a bandage in 11 weeks (just for a few hours)  His bandaging is to protect the scar tissue as he loves sparing with Charlie and just one wrong clip with a nail could undo all the hard work.  I have had some fun with some funky bandaging.  He also has full use of all his fingers and thumb and full use of his arm as well.  He will certainly have a nice big scar, hope it will remind him not to jump fences anymore.

A huge thankyou to Dr Paul, Becki and Peggy for their encouragment and continued support, for pushing me when I didn't think I could do this anymore.  Extra thank you to Peggy for being there to help with bandage changes, for your time running around getting bandages and supplies for Cruz, for babysitting this precious boy so I could take a break. Huge big hugs for Charlie for being the bestest buddy Cruz could have had. Rosie thank you for giving up your nights to spend with Cruz so he didnt have to be alone.

But above all thanks and praise to Cruz's healer and protector our gracious God for protecting him and giving me the strength to carry on.

A lot of things had to be put on hold while I nursed this precious boy but it has been so worth it.  He has been the best ever patient, so gentle, so patient, so loving.  There is now a special bond between us.  I am in tears as he follows me as I walk the little ones through the bush.  He used to cry in his pen when he saw us.  He has taken his place as big brother to the little ones taking care of them when they wander too far away from me.

Cruz's biggest smile today as his arm was unbandaged for a couple of hours