More than a routine visit

PHOTO BY RICK WOOD Ray Strom, owner of OutbackWhen a dog or cat gets sick it is usually not a big deal to take them to a veterinarian. But when your kangaroo gets sick, finding care may not be as simple as opening the phonebook.

Owners of the Outback Kangaroo Farm in Arlington, Ray Strom and his wife Joey, said they were lucky to find a willing and qualified vet in Stanwood.

"We've got a lot of different animals to feed and care for," said Strom. "It keeps us very busy."

The Strom's have more than 40 kangaroos, wallabies and wallaroos on their farm. The menagerie also includes lemurs, goats, emus, tortoises, llamas and an alpaca. mals, finding veterinary care can be a challenge, said Strom.

Dr. Dan Haskins, with Northwest Veterinary Clinic in Stanwood, said he looks forward to treating the Strom's unique animals.

"There's a sense of adventure," said Haskins, who has been seeing the Strom's kangaroos since 1999. "I like the variety of things we see with them."

Haskins said there is also a sense of obligation to the animal's unique, exotic nature.

"Generally, there was nobody around they could turn to," he said. "Basically, people have to call around looking for someone to treat their species."

Taking on 6-foot tall marsupials meant doing some research, said Haskins.

The biggest challenge was learning the anesthetic protocols," he said. "We had to figure out what was safe."

Gas anesthetic turned out to be the most reliable, said Haskins.

The kangaroos' anatomy presented another learning opportunity for Haskins.

"Kangaroos and wallabies have a cartilage plate covering their abdomen — protecting the internal organs," he said.M

ostly, he took the knowledge he has about other species and applies it to the native Australian animals, said Haskins.

Kangaroos, famous for their pouches, have given Haskins insight into the odd nature of their pregnancies.

"It's always fun to see the baby poke its head out of the pouch and look around," he said.H

askins said he is never sure exactly what challenges lay ahead.

One exceptional case was the time "Jack," a juvenile male kangaroo, broke his tail.

A kangaroo's tail is primarily used for balance and steering when the animal runs. It also plays the role of a third leg when standing on its hind legs.

"He fractured one of his vertebrae," said Haskins. "We put a splint on his tail and wrapped it with plastic garbage bags."

It wasn't long before Jack made a full recovery and he still greets visitors to the farm today.

Haskins said he has often been surprised by the resilience of the kangaroos he's treated.

"We did an amputation of the rear leg of a kangaroo once," he said. "He did amazingly well with just one leg."

Haskins also makes routine visits to the farm and said he deals with normal animal health concerns more frequently than the extremes.

For example, Kangaroos are prone to tooth abscesses as a result of their diet in captivity, Haskins said.

"This seems to be the case with many kangaroos," he said.

Haskins said he continues to look forward to treating the Strom's plethora of animals and feels fortunate to have learned so much by the experience.

"Ray and Joey take great care of their animals," he said. "They really know their stuff, too."

For more information about Outback Kangaroo Farm, call 360-403-7474 or visit www. christmastreesandroos.com.

Reporter Rick Wood: 629- 8066 ext. 104 or rwood@scnews. com. Kangaroo Farm in Arlington, feeds a bread treat to "Jack," a red kangaroo.