Oreo and Her Rough Winter

This winter, Casady students pushed through Oklahoma’s odd weather characterized by extreme temperatures, but little snow. As we darted between buildings to avoid the harsh wind, we almost forgot our feathery friends who surround the pond. While all our ducks remain on campus year long, most of our ducks are able to find shelter during the brutal winter months. However, not Oreo. Casady’s most popular and friendly duck, not only does Oreo stand out because of her black and white feathers, hence the name, but according to a head member of the maintenance crew, Mr. Coate, due to Oreo’s possible domestication and comfort around people, she may have lacked “the instinctive knowledge to find proper protection for herself during the coldest parts of winter.” After a cold week in January, Mrs. France noticed that Oreo was limping and called Dr. Tiffany Sill, a lower division parent and veterinarian. Dr. Sill took Oreo to Dr. Aaron Stachmus who specializes in exotic pets and was determined to give Oreo the best care possible. He determined that Oreo has frostbite on both feet and after 2 weeks of antibiotics to help debride the tissue, Oreo lost one entire foot and a portion of the other. Thanks to the maintenance crew, a temporary home was built for Oreo to help assist her in her recovery as her feathers reacclimated, but once on campus, “Oreo flew over the wall and into the Casady lake. It was obvious she was happy to be home,” as Dr. Sill puts it. Since her arrival back on campus, Dr. Sill says “she is able to swim and hobble around surprisingly well.” Now that Oreo is in her final stages of recovery, the 3rd grade brownies placed a permanent shelter they constructed specifically for Oreo near the creek area west of the primary playground. Members of the lower division hope to train Oreo to use this new shelter that can protect her from the cold before temperature drop this winter in order to prevent another accident like this from happening. Until then, Oreo doesn’t let her disabilities stop her as she continues to swim, fly, and walk when needed. Most importantly, lower division teachers have been looking out for our special duck on a daily basis as she continues her recovery, offering her supplementary foods and other services when necessary. Without members of our Casady community such as Mrs. France, Dr. Sill, Dr. Stachmus, Mr. Coate, and the entire maintenance team, we may have lost our Oreo forever.