We once had a friend tell us that being on steroids made him feel like he could chew through a broomstick – now that’s quite the image of frustration! It’s an image that came back years later when we had to put our cat, Spice, on steroids for a while. Now Spice was never known as a sweet kitty, but he became a real a-hole on those meds. A hair-trigger temper became almost comical as he’d walk past the snoozing dog and just tear into the poor pup with a berserker-level fury.
So, luckily it didn’t take me very long to figure out what was wrong with Rex last week – he was suffering from ‘roid rage!
The vet put him on Temen1-P last Monday. It’s a combination antihistamine and steroid to help with his itchy skin. His scratching fits subsided pretty quickly but his back-talking adolescent attitude amped up. He barked in your face for food, attention, and playtime. The tone of his barking and growling when we wrestled and played tug was sounding kind of scary. He still calmed down when I asked him to, but it took a couple more commands than before. And that’s when it struck me … ‘roid rage.
He seemed better this past weekend – still jacked up but not berserker – or so I thought. Sunday was an icky day here in Raleigh and we didn’t get to take any good walks … And by that night ‘roid rage puppy was back with a vengeance. Now I know.
First, Rex has gotten to the stage where he’s making a play for pack leader.
Second, steroids really crank him up.
Finally, he needs long-long walks on a daily basis and consistent calm direction and training.
afureverfamily 