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The Articles page is updated regularly with articles and podcasts for pet owners on everything from puppy training to cat aggression.
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Would you like to schedule a Lunch and Learn at your hospital?
Lunch and learn lectures are complimentary. Almost any behavior topic can be covered. Call 561-795-9398 to schedule.
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| FAQs |
My patient is a 1 year old DSH. The owner reports that she is chewing fabric. What can be done about this?
It is important to distinguish fabric sucking and chewing from PICA. Authors have reported that fabric sucking and chewing is more common in oriental breeds such as Siamese. Veterinarians should look for underlying medical causes such as inflammatory bowel disease before giving cats who exhibit this behavior a primary behavioral diagnosis.
In general, these cats need lots of oral
stimulation. They should eat as much of their food as possible from food toys such as the FunKitty toy line. Owners can also satisfy their cat's desire to chew by offering safe chew toys such as bully sticks and cat grass. Toys should be rotated in order to keep the cat's interest.
Most of these cats have additional anxieties such as separation anxiety, social anxiety or intercat aggression. These issues should be addressed as well for a positive outcome.
For a downloadable article on feline environmental enrichment click here.
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Do you have an FAQ or case for the next newsletter?
Click here to email your question.
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Evaluation of a supplement for efficacy in treating
urine marking in cats
and car anxiety in dogs.
If you would like more information on referring a patient for one of these studies
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Volume: 3, Issue: 3
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October, 2010
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From the Meetings (AVSAB/ACVB, 2010)
| Psychometric Validation of Pain and Quality of Life Scales In Osteoarthritic Cats. M. P. Klinck, et al.
The goal of this study was to identify behavior changes in cats with osteoarthritis (OA) before and after NSAID treatment. Cats were divided into 3 groups: old-affected, old-unaffected, and young-unaffected. Owners and veterinarians scored the cats behavior independently using a validated survey and the results were compared with radiography, actimetry and force plate analysis before and after NSAID treatment. Elicitation of pain by the veterinarian
upon palpation was not correlated with actual arthritis pain. The strongest indicator of severity of disease was observation by the veterinarian of the cat's gait. The strongest indicator of OA on the owner survey was decreased exploratory behavior.
Clinical implication: Cats can be stoic on physical examination making it difficult to assess their level of pain. In this study, physical examination findings did not accurately predict disease. Letting the cat explore the room while the veterinarian observes the gait and behavior appears to be a more effective way to assess pain in this species. In addition, the primary feline stress behavior is hiding and disengagement which often appears "normal" to owners. The validation of a standardized checklist for veterinarians may be helpful in assessing feline pain and increasing the patient's quality of life.
Behavioral and Environmental Characteristics of Dog Bites Among Children Presenting to an Urban Trauma Center. IR Reisner, et al.
The parents of 203 children suffering from dog bites filled out surveys on the circumstances surrounding the bites. Two clear groups emerged: younger children bitten by a familiar dog and older children bitten by an unfamiliar dog. Most children who were bitten by an unfamiliar dog were boys less than 7 years old. The dogs most likely to bite in these circumstances were male, intact dogs. Younger children were more likely to be bitten in situations with the following characteristics: familiar, stationary dog approached in a "positive" way by the child.
Clinical implication: Children are the most common group to suffer from dog bites. In this study, two groups emerged. As veterinarians, we can directly affect the second group: young children bitten by familiar dogs, by identifying at risk dogs and children, preparing dogs for the addition of a new member before the baby comes, helping clients to have realistic expectations for their pet and referring patients for appropriate veterinary behavioral care when the child is at risk. To download a free client handout on dog/baby preparations, click here.
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Is this book in your Libary?
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Living with Kids and Dogs Without Losing Your Mind, by Colleen Pelar.
C & R Publishing, 2007
This is a good book which outlines clearly how to prepare dogs for children and vice versa. If has easy to follow guidelines and outlines realistic expectations for owners, dogs and children. The instructions span from newborn to teenage years offering a comprehensive guide to living with children and dogs. The single flaw with this book is that it doesn't refer clients to their veterinarian or a veterinary behaviorist for help. This is a fairly serious flaw because owners should always visit their veterinarian for a health evaluation before starting treatment for a behavioral problem. Overall, this is a good book which should be considered for owners who are pregnant, planning a pregnancy or planning an adoption. If a dog is already showing anxiety or aggression, the case should be evaluated for medical disease. If the primary care veterinarian does not feel comfortable treating the case, it should be referred to a Board Certified Veterinary Behaviorist for treatment ideally before the baby is born.
Click here to read an article outlining the veterinarian's role in situations involving kids and dogs. |
What can you say in 20 minutes?TM
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Signalment: Simon, 10
yr old, M/N Basset Hound
Presenting complaint:
Patient presents for acute relapse of separation anxiety. Patient has been well maintained with behavior modification alone for 4 years. The owner recently moved due to a divorce and his behavior has worsened.
P/E, labwork:
Patient has controlled diabetes and the owner would like to avoid additional medications. Physical examination-wnl; weight stable.
Behavioral considerations:
In this case, make sure to rule out cognitive dysfunction syndrome (CDS). Dogs will begin showing signs of this disease at around 10 years of age. It can appear that the primary cause is separation anxiety when it is actually CDS. Click here for a one page screening form for this disorder.
Dogs with separation anxiety may relapse when owners move, after a traumatic event or when there is a change in the family (e.g., divorce). Owners will typically have to start over to some extent to bring the pet into remission.
Treatment plan:- Revisit the original behavior modification plan to make sure that there have been no changes which may be contributing to the relapse. Remind the owner to start at the beginning with treatment.
- Supplement options: Anxitane, Melatonin, Novifit and ProQuiet.
- All of the supplements listed above should be given daily to be effective with the exception of Melatonin which can be given daily or on a PRN basis.
*Before prescribing any medication or supplement, read the drug monograph and always warn owners of the potential for negative mood changes such as aggression. |
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