Output Stream of Consciousness

I regret to announce that our female button quail, Amestris, has passed away:

It was a pretty sudden onset of symptoms. Her feathers were a bit disheveled, and soon after, she began having trouble walking. I took her to the vet to see what could be done. She thought it could be egg-binding, and although that has not been noted for quails, most people do not take their quails to the vet, so there's a dearth of information on their conditions.

I gave the vet the go-ahead for an X-ray, though, and Amestris must have been quite the trooper to undergo the procedure. The X-rays were developed right there, and the vet took a look and saw that it was not an egg, which leaves out egg-binding (she considered that fortunate), but it was a 'mass' and it could be pinching the nerves, making her unable to walk well with one foot. Her one foot wasn't reacting as well as it should be, too.

She posted the X-rays on a veterinarian board in hopes of a reply, but nothing more useful than a guess of egg binding had come back so far, from the sounds of it.

How do you take an X-ray of a bird? You hold their wings back, or to the side.

Here are the X-rays, as a tribute, and perhaps a vain hope of an explanation:

The vet gave us some antibiotics, just in case the mass was infection-related (what can you do? Amestris was too small for a blood sample).

When I got her home, to a freshly cleaned cage, she and Xerxes exchanged calls, and she seemed happy to be back. She immediately started eating, which I considered a good sign. She was able to limp up and down the ramp that we have in the cage.

Two days later, though, she was eyes half-closed. Dena put some food close to her, and I put some water next to her. That was it, though; she died during the night.

We will miss you, Amestris, and your peeps and sounds, the way Xerxes liked to dote on you, and the plethora of interestingly-coloured eggs you always left around. I think Xerxes misses you most of all.

Rest in peace.