flap
Flapper went to the vet today for a check-up of his heart. He had an EKG and blood pressure checked as well as just a good listen.

The bird specialist vet says she agrees his heart is enlarged. And she thinks he also has a murmur and possibly an arrhythmia. But she thinks we caught it pretty early, and she has seen great results with the heart meds he is on. So she thinks he could do well for quite awhile if he takes it easy and stays indoors.

Of course he also has bad arthritis, so he can barely walk at all. But if he is still doing well this summer, he could possibly stay outside during the days in the aviary and swim too. Right now if he gets too excited while swimming he nearly passes out. It’s like his heart just can’t keep up with what his body needs. So I don’t let him swim every day and I make sure he doesn’t swim too long.

Luckily, Flapper seems to really enjoy being in the house. In his playpen, he can turn one way and eat food and drink water, then turn around and nap on his heating pad and blanket — all without having to walk. It’s really soft so his keel doesn’t get hurt from sitting all day, and he has a mirror to talk to when I’m not home. Simon the cat has been hanging out with him a bit as well. In the evenings he hangs out on the couch with us and in the early mornings he snuggles on the bed (on a towel) before we get up.

If we can keep him happy like this for a while, he should do well. It’s nice having my little buddy inside, and I’m glad to have more quality time with him.

We’ll keep you posted on how he’s doing, but for now, it looks like he’s stable and doing just fine.

Quacks,

Tiff