I was going to skip Nichola's vet visit this year. He hates to be captured and crated. He hates the ride in the car. I figured it wasn't worth the stress and I was going to start bringing him every other year.
The problem is, he was looking real skinny. His keel bone is very pronounced. I decided to take him in.
The vet agreed that his keel bone was very pronounced, and he is losing muscle in the breast. His weight was actually up slightly, from 274 to 279, I think. Up five grams no matter what the numbers were, so largely unchanged. He has been with me for a year, and his diet is better here, more beans and grains to go with his fruits and veggies. He eats his gloop so well, he barely touches his pellets. He eats nutriberries and pistachios, too.
She said his feather and beak condition were great, the physical exam was good, and his blood work was good. He has slightly elevated WBC but still within the normal range. My birds always have this because it takes almost an hour In Traffic to get to the vet, and they're stressed by the time the blood is taken.
So now they want to do radiographs. I'm not sure exactly why. I'm waiting for a callback. I don't know what they're looking for or what they expect to find, or rule out.