Flapper has decided I am his Valentine. And of course, he is always mine.
Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone!
George says “hi” too.
Caught
French Fries!
Tonight while I was eating dinner, Flapper really wanted some. But my veggie tofu thai food was way too spicy to share, so I went and picked him up some french fries. As you can see, it made him very, very happy.
In other news, Lester is doing pretty well. Realistically, he won’t ever walk again. He doesn’t even stand up. But he seems content and he likes his buddy Flapper. That will have to be enough. Olly Astro still has a respiratory infection. We hope to try a new antibiotic for her starting tomorrow or Thursday. Everyone else is doing good.
That’s the mid-week update. Keep on quacking.
Lester to the Vet
Little Lester Leroy went to the vet for a check-up today. His regular vets are vacationing on the beaches of Hawaii, so he saw a substitute vet who was very nice.
Lester was soooo happy to be home from the vet and see his buddy Flapper. They chatted for nearly 1/2 hour. Lester’s prognosis is not good. His legs are not likely fix-a-ble and he does have nerve damage. He also still has parasites so he’s still on medication for that as well as antibiotics for his legs and previous dog-bite wounds.
For now, Lester has a good quality of life. He likes his playpen and his mirror and he likes his buddy Flapper. Flapper also likes him and they are good company for each other. He is eating well and seems content. So he will stay with us for as long as he is happy and has a good quality of life. And he’ll go back to the vet in 2 weeks for another check-up. NOTE: We don’t need donations for Lester, as his care is paid for by the Seattle Animal Shelter right now.
In other news, Chewy was featured in a book last year. I do not support people farming animals, but this book wanted to use one of my photos of Chewy and so we said they could. Since Chewy passed away unexpectedly, I bought the book so I could have it as a keepsake.
Chewy is featured in the book in his tuxedo, and his caption says, “Chewy, pictured right, is kept as a much-loved pet, its owners keeping a lively pictorial blog of its exploits on flickr.com.” I thought it would be good for some people to see that ducks are more than just agricultural or ornamental objects. And Chewy always did look very handsome in his tuxedo.
We worked from home today so we could get Lester to the vet, and as you can see, George was happy to hang out with us. Flapper sat on some blankets inside the house and looked out at the chickens and O’Malley, Petunia & George. George was very curious about the house but too shy to step inside.
Lastly, Simon is doing pretty well these days. He has adjusted to having not one, but TWO ducks living inside HIS house, even though it can be exhausting at times.
That’s all the news for today. Thanks and quacks.
Play Date Outside
Lester Leroy went outside today to get some much-needed sunshine.
He and Flapper both needed to get out of the house and enjoy the great outdoors, so I set up a little play area out front and gave Flapper a little pool to swim in.
Lester Leroy really needed a bath too, as his eyes were getting crusty. Duck tears have an oil in them that they spread onto their feathers while preening. Ducks need to dip their entire head in water every day to clean those tears away and to clean any feathers out of their beak. Lester hasn’t had a bath though, because he has been recovering from his injuries.
Here you can see the big wound area on Lester’s back. This is probably where he was bitten by a dog, but it has been awhile ago. We think it has been longer than a few weeks, and this injury is probably what caused the damage to Lester’s legs, if it is in fact nerve damage.
This video below is tough to watch, but it shows just how bad Lester’s legs are.
Lester Leroy loves to be near Flapper, but since they are both boys, they also love to talk tough. When I broke them up, Lester had latched on to Flapper’s face and Flapper had latched on to Lester’s chest. Silly boys. Both were of course fine, and they really do like each others company.
As you can see, Lester’s legs are a real mess. He is still on antibiotics for the bone marrow infection (osteomyelitis) and both legs do have motion, but I am really doubtful that he’ll ever walk again. This means that as long as he is happy and hanging out with Flapper, he has a life and a home here. It is very tough to euthanize a duck like Lester, because even though his legs are terrible, his body is fine and his will to live is very, very strong. If you remember a few years ago we had another handicapped duck, Sunny, who we decided to euthanize after awhile. She had declined and did not have a strong will to live anymore. She would have hated being in the house alone. She was not happy or content, and not at all people friendly. Lester comes to us at a time when Flapper is already living inside due to his severe arthritis and congestive heart failure. He is doing well now, but he can’t walk much. He seems happy inside and having Lester around actually keeps him occupied while I’m at work. Lester having Flapper around is great as well. Lester seems happy and content, even though he does not care to be picked up and treated by me. So for now, he will do fine here, but his long-term prognosis is not likely to be a full recovery or a normal outdoor life.
After hanging out in the sunshine, Lester and Flapper came in and took over the bed while I cleaned up their playpens and wiped duck poop off my bedroom wall. Lester really seemed to enjoy the bed and made himself right at home on my pillow.
Because of Flapper’s arthritis, he has had to get resourceful to reach his tail feathers and preen his belly.
Here he shows his extreme near somersault preening move. I’m thinking of helping him over and giving him a french fry to see if he’ll do it again. A somersaulting duck would be even better than an arthritic duck with congestive heart failure, don’t you think?
In other news, the most awesome blog, Seattle Vegan Score, named me VEGAN OF THE WEEK!
Photo by Rebecca Bolte, All Rights Reserved ©2011, www.rebeccabolte.com
Read more about Vegan of the Week here.
Thanks to Anika, Rebecca and Rex for coming over to interview me and take photos and video of the feathered family. It is an honor to be in such great company and I’m so happy to be a part of the active animal rights community in Seattle.
Lester Leroy, George, Olly Astro and Flapper
Little Lester Leroy is a little bit of a biter. I don’t blame him a bit as he has been through a lot in his life.
I’m pretty concerned that he may not be “fix-able.” His right leg is bent and stuck at an odd angle. I looked at his x-rays today and it isn’t broken or dislocated, so it’s just weird.
It’s constantly sticking up at an odd angle, and it can’t feel comfortable like that. I guess I’m still hoping that the antibiotics treating the bone marrow infection can help him, but that leg looks bad to me. I didn’t want to bend it or try any physical therapy until after I’d seen the x-rays, and tonight I tried to maneuver the leg a little bit. It doesn’t seem extremely painful but it’s not comfortable. I bent and held it down in a normal position for a bit, but it just pops back up when you let it go.
Whichever way you look at him, that right leg is always sticking up funny. Our friend Peggy said, “Maybe he just always has a question to ask.” Ha ha… “Waiter? Excuse me, waiter!? More lettuces please. Hello!? Waiter!”
He really is a cute kid. It’s unfortunate that he has been through so much. He’s missing chunks of feathers and has a few nodules on his neck that are probably old wounds. I was hoping that at the very least he could recover and live a happy life from here on out. But if he can’t get to the point of walking or even sitting normal… I’m not sure what his prognosis will be. He’s not super friendly like Flapper is, so it’s not likely he will enjoy being around me. He does enjoy Flapper’s company for now though. Right now he just needs to take his antibiotics and eat and be good, and he’s doing that really well. So for now, he’s doing his best.
In other news, George went to the vet today for a check-up. I wasn’t sure he was feeling 100%, and we needed to have his blood tested anyway before he can go to his forever sanctuary, so we took him for a check-up today. I think he’s fine, I just worry too much. George is as sweet as ever and a very good goose. His foot is still improving and the scab is down to a very shallow tiny scab of less than 1cm long. In a few more weeks it should finally finally finally be healed. Whew!
Olly Astro has yet another respiratory infection. When it rains, it pours! This is Seattle, after all. If you remember, she came to us as a rescue after being treated for eight weeks for pneumonia. She has had two more infections since then, and this week she got another one. It looks like she’ll always be susceptible to respiratory infections since she had a really bad one. Maybe she has some lung damage, I don’t know. But she is responding to antibiotics and doing well. Her latest trick is running right into the house when I open the door, like she owns the place.
Lastly, Flapper was extra sweet tonight. He must have missed me today, because I sat down with him and he snuggled for over an hour.
I hate to share photos of myself, but you just have to see this teddy bear snuggler. He cannot be contained.
He loves to be as close as he can be, and to tuck his beak and snooze and chat.
He couldn’t be any sweeter. It’s just impossible.
And as always, he is a great storyteller.
It was a busy day, so we’re off to get some rest.
Good night and quacks (and honks from George).
Bird Project
This is some awesome soap we received as a gift today from our good friends Wayne & Dawn in NYC. Isn’t it neat? Read all about it at: http://www.birdproject.org
The soap is made from biodiesel glycerin and some other stuff, and half of the profits from the sales of the soap benefit birds affected by the BP Horizon Deepwater Oil Spill.
What a thoughtful gift, and what a great cause.
Pass it on.
P.S. We’re taking in a new rescue on Saturday!
Monday evening with Flapper
Flapper hung out on the couch with me for awhile tonight and told me about his day.
Then he listened to me talk about my day a bit.
After that, he was a little restless. So he got down on the floor. Keep your tail on the poop blankie, buster.
He settled in for a little nap on the floor, but then it was time for treats.
Flapper ate a few french fries, took his nightly heart meds and then headed off to his playpen to go to bed.
I could spend every night this way.
Sweet dreams, Flapper.
Visitor: Welcome Kelly
Our Flapper friend Kelly came to visit us today. She fed all the crew wheat treats and as you can see, they were very happy to see her.
We have known Kelly for years on Flickr and Facebook, and she was always very far away serving in the US Army in Korea. But now she is back in the states so she finally made it up to Seattle to see Flapper! Best of all, she brought French fries!
Flapper really appreciated the French fries and ate them with gusto.
Eating fries can get tiring, so Flapper sat down to conserve his energy for a few more French fries.
Then he was ready for a nap, but he needed a beak holder.
Since Kelly was so nice to bring French fries, Flapper let her hold his beak while he took a quick nap.
Then it was back outside to share lettuces and peas with George and the others.
Thanks for visiting, Kelly! It was a great day and we’re happy we got to hang out and that you got to meet Flapper.
Quacks, and safe travels.
Snow in Seattle
Flapper looks out at the snow falling in Seattle tonight from the comfort of the couch. Simon stood in the doorway, but even he was not going to get his fur wet to enjoy a little snow.
So I went out alone. It’s a beautiful night.
Flapper Vet Update
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
