Last night was more of a slumber party. For the first time, Bella seemed to pay attention to the fact that I was sleeping near her. She sat up and looked at me in bed. When I got up to get something, she followed me keenly with her eyes and even stayed seated instead of crunching down into her bed. She did pant more, as if suddenly considering me a bit of a danger, but this faded some time after I turned off the light and she settled down to sleep. I felt that I suddenly had a wary companion in my bedroom rather than a ghost.
Dr. Sarah and the veterinary behaviorist were finally able to connect. The behaviorist was very nice, according to Sarah, and offered a plan for medicating Bella. Bella will be begin with a dose of Ativan 2 to 3X a day. After 5 - 7 days, we will add Paxil, if all goes well. Hopefully this will begin the end of Bella's shut down. I'm ready for a rocky ride over the next few weeks, and hoping that Bella won't become aggressive.