Regression and Questions Week of April 13

Stella has had a very rough week. After her birthday weekend, I went back to work. Stella was unable to eat her breakfast in the kitchen on Tuesday. She went outside in the morning to potty, and when she came back in, she flew right by the breakfast dish with her tail down and tried to get up the stairs as fast as she could. I heard her trip and fall on the steps, and went running to find her in her "safe place" in the living room. I took her upstairs and fed her breakfast in bed. She seemed agitated when I left, and her separation anxiety seemed to be returning. Wednesday, when I stayed home in the morning, she seemed a bit better, but spent lots of time in her safe space, and she also began to hide in the bathroom behind the laundry basket and in the bathroom closet in the morning as I was getting dressed. Thursday we had a repeat of Tuesday, only she ate her breakfast outside. She continued to hide in the bathroom. The dog walker reports that she is fine on mid-day walks. She is also fine on morning walks, but seems to fall apart when we get home.

Last week, I did try playing Stella's dog music CD only once through during the morning week rather than having it repeat all day, and on got too rushed for food treats before leaving the house at the end of the week. These are events that she has been able to manage in previous weeks, though, and I feel that the clomipramine is no longer as effective as it was.