Ally

On the 2nd of August 2007, we received a call from Cairns Tropical Zoo asking us to pick up two orphans that needed some care. One of them was little Ally, a beautiful little Agile wallaby.

Weighing in at just on 500gms, she was starting to get her fur. Ally was a strong little girl and spent much time wiggling out of her pouch liner! Once she had achieved this, she would sit and cry until someone put her back in again. Once this has been done, she would repeat the process all over again!

Ally's progress as far as Agile wallabies go was very slow. For the first couple of weeks in care, she did not eat well and it took much perseverance to keep her alive.

After a trip to the vet with our concerns, we discovered that she was actually lactose intolerant and was not responding to the formula. She was changed to a soy based formula which was supplemented with vitamins. After the change she responded well and started to gain weight.

After 3 months of care, Ally took a turn for the worst. She mysteriously lost mobility and became almost paralysed. Despite two weeks of intensive care, veterinary treatment, anti-biotics and vitamins, there was no sign of improvement.

On the 29th of November 2007, Ally's condition deteriorated significantly and I made the difficult decision to euthanize her. Although I have been through many losses before, it doesn't make it any easier. In Ally's case, I could not let her suffer any longer.

An autopsy conducted by a vet determined that Ally had renal failure. As to the cause - that's still a mystery?