{08apr2010: the ramp}

Since Darwin has been reluctant to jump into the car lately we decided to get her a ramp.  I Googled ramps and read reviews and eventually we decided on this one.

image from Amazon
We liked that it was light and fairly compact.  I was concerned about the width (16") but she seems to have no problem with it.
It came on Monday and we introduced Darwin to it by having it open on the ground and putting treats on it.  I put her leash on and in no time she was walking across it like a pro.  Tuesday we took her for a walk and when we got back decided to give it another try, this time at an incline.

We did a few rounds going up and down the ramp at this lower incline, then moved into the garage to try her into Jason's car.

I was such the proud mom.  Jason said our neighbors probably thought I was crazy the way I was carrying on about her.

We also got another package last night.

Darwin's drugs for treating her meningitis. 
She was very interested in what was in the box.

Since she was so excited about it, and we need to give her these pills every 12 hours I started right then.  Here's what she has to take twice a day for the next three weeks:

10 pills!  Two times a day!  For three weeks!  Actually it'll only be 19 pills, the white Tramadol we only give once a day.  We'll be going through a lot of peanut butter in the next few weeks.  (Darwin used to get her pills stuffed in string cheese chunks, but she's learned to eat the cheese and spit out the pill.  She loves peanut butter though and if we coat the pills in peanut butter she gobbles them down like candy!  And she gets to lick my fingers and the spoon after.)
What we have experienced so far with the Prednisone after one round of pills... excessive thirst and hunger... in the middle of the night.  OI.  Here's a website that lists some of the side effects of Prednisone.  Starting at 1am she had to go out to use the bathroom, then was up guzzling down water like she was in a desert, then pacing and panting and gnawing on her raw bone.  I was up til 3 watching her and making sure she was ok.  What a night.  She's also taking Doxycycline and Clindamycin and both those antibiotics have diarrhea listed as a side effect.  Let's hope she doesn't have a reaction to those!