Behavioral Medicine
Your pet's behavior affects every interaction you have with him or her on a daily basis. Behavior dictates everything from meal time, to exercise time, to downtime such as relaxing on the couch with other family members. When a pet has a behavior problem, the consequences are far-reaching. Behavior problems threaten the bond you have with your pet by damaging the loving relationship that should exist between you. In extreme situations, a serious behavior problem can lead to euthanasia or surrendering a pet to a shelter.
Pets can have a wide variety of behavioral issues, from simple house-training problems to severe anxiety, fear, and aggression issues or even simple undesirable behaviors like scratching or digging. We are well qualified and experienced in diagnosing and addressing behavior problems with an approach that combines skills from veterinary clinical medicine, behavioral medicine, and pet training. Our goals are to help pets and their owners live together comfortably and safely, and to help restore the bond between pets and their families.
Dealing with behavior problems can be frustrating for pet owners. Some pet owners may even blame themselves because their pet seems to have an emotional issue. Although behavior problems can result from emotional trauma or physical mistreatment, in many cases the problem can arise from simple misunderstandings or learned associations that were inadvertently established during training. In addition, several medical conditions can manifest in ways that mimic behavior problems. It is very important to have your pet examined by one of our veterinarians at the first sign of a problem to rule out any medical conditions. Once a behavioral issue is diagnosed, we will discuss options with you and, in some instances, may refer you to a certified animal trainer to help you and your pet in the home. Sometimes, medications are necessary as well.
Before you and your pet suffer through one more day of inappropriate behavior, call us. Let's talk about how we can help.
Before you and your pet suffer through one more day of inappropriate behavior, call us. Let's talk about how we can help.