{27apr2010: Roid Rage}

Darwin's new nickname is Roids as in Roid Rage.  Ever since she's been "sick" and more so since she started taking all her drugs to treat meningitis Darwin barks at everything.  Any noise she hears, even if she's heard it a thousand times before, like the neighbors door opening or closing, or a bird, or any noise, she barks.  It usually starts as a low growl noise, then a soft grunt, then a bark and then another bark and then another.  She's even started barking at her reflection in the glass sliding door.  Sometimes she'll be laying on the bed or the couch and won't even lift her head to bark or grunt, she'll just lay there grunting at a noise. 
She also whines a lot more now.  She doesn't get what she wants... whine.  She can't get her food out of her bowl cause she's scared of the noise... whine.  She LOVES tomatoes and rice (besides apples) and so if we have some we'll put some in her bowl.  For some reason when she eats these things out of the bowl she bangs her bowl around and it scares her and she won't eat her food, but will stand there whining.  If she eats her regular food out of the bowl and it clangs around, she's fine.  But eating 
anything else out of her bowl becomes some big dramatic production.  See for yourself.

This was a short version of how she usually carries on and I know I probably shouldn't give in and hold her bowl for her, but if I don't she'll carry on FOREVER.  Any ideas how to help her get over that?
We're a few days away from finishing up all the main drugs and will start the process of weaning her off the prednisone.  Hopefully that'll help with her excessive thirst and eating (and peeing and pooping as a result) and the barking roid rage.


Thanks to everyone who's voted so far for Darwin!
If you haven't done so yet, please check out this post and vote for Darwin so we can win a trip to the Oregon coast!