08/18/2023
Here's a recent update on our friend Wally! We're all rooting for a smooth recovery!
A bit more about WALLYs roadtrip and surgery.
He was not all that cooperative for the 3-hour drive to Champaign. He spent most of it on my lap but that got old, too. The staff was superb. But how could they not fall in love will WALLY. Especially helpful was Stephany Elizabeth Lewis who patiently answered ALL of my pre-op questions and kept me up to date all day today. No concern was too small and she made sure he had his stuffed gorilla with him when he woke up. They also made me much less anxious about the procedure. I just felt so bad for what WALLY had to go through yesterday.
While waiting for news about WALLY, I bought two trays of little bundt cakes (Nothing Bundt Cakes) and an Edible Arrangement as a way of saying thanks for their efforts. They spent hours and hours on WALLY and, since he is being raised for release by a licensed wildlife rehabilitator, there was no charge for any of this. Can you imagine???
Post op recovery will be not too restrictive except that he can't go swimming for two weeks. He can wade in shallow water but no diving or dunking. Dr. Diemer at Prairie View Animal Hospital will be taking over his post op care and prescribing meds for him. According to the Wildlife Clinic, his head/neck shape precludes using a collar on him to keep him from fussing with the incision so we'll have to keep a close eye on that. His doctor, Dr. Moran, wants him to start walking in 2 days and just make sure he doesn't overdue it.
I'm just so grateful for everyone who made "tough as nails WALLY" their top priority these past few days, including my husband Mark who was with us the whole time. It sure helps to spread the stress and love around:) Thanks for all the words of encouragement. I know I'm super emotional about these cases but I've been so close to him that I just couldn't bear imagining him not coming home with us. Thanks St. Francis for watching over him:)
