Feline Idiopathic Cystitis Trial
BEHAVIOURAL SERVICES IN THE SMALL ANIMAL PRACTICE
Britain is famous for being a nation of animal lovers and we now know that the majority of households have a pet of some kind or another! However, there are dogs that bite, cats that pee in the ‘wrong place’, dogs that can never be left alone and pets that are frightened of the noisy world we live in. We also can’t always live in harmony with our pets and there are many situations where their behaviour upsets us, gets in the way of the things we need to do, or is frankly incomprehensible!
Consultations within the practice
Appointments are offered within the practice during normal surgery times on Mondays and Fridays. These are offered by Dr Alison Blaxter, BA BVM&S Dip(AS)CABC PhD MRCVS, she is a veterinary surgeon with over 30 years of experience in small animal medicine, including work in a charity clinic, clinical research, further study and time in many different practices. Over the last 12 years she has developed an interest in dog and cat clinical behaviour, and completed an additional post-graduate qualification in Companion Animal Behaviour Counselling from Southampton University in 2005.
What is behavioural therapy?
Most behavioural therapy primarily involves understanding why our animals behave as they do. By altering the way we deal with them we can alter their behaviour too. Specific training programmes and supportive therapy with drugs can also be used in some cases.
Some behaviour problems are a reflection of medical disease and investigation of these is vital before embarking on any behavioural modification programmes so there is a distinct advantage of seeing a vet for behavioural therapy.
What kinds of problems can I have help with?
Almost any annoying or distressing behaviour can be modified!
The most common problems we help with in dogs are:
- destructiveness in the house
- nervousness with strangers or visitors
- noise phobias – such as to fireworks or thunder
- inappropriate barking (for example in the house or car)
- fighting between dogs in the household or outside
- aggressiveness towards people
- chasing bicycles/livestock/joggers
- house-soiling
Cats can be helped with:
- toileting/ house-soiling
- fighting other cats within the household
- eating/stealing fabrics such as wool
- general timidity or specific fears
What happens when I have a behaviour appointment?
As many members of the family as possible should attend the consultation with your pet. The first session is likely to last at least an hour. The time will be spent asking you in great detail about how you and your pet live together, and about the problem behaviours. To help you do this you will be given a questionnaire to fill in before the consultation and to bring with you to discuss. You can soon download the questionnaires from this site.
Towards the end of the consultation a plan of treatment will be discussed and agreed with you. This will be supported by a written letter with full details of all the suggested treatments. If we recommend any investigations, such as blood or urine tests, this will be arranged with practice staff.
Follow up appointments are usually made on a weekly or fortnightly basis as the problem dictates!
Referral to consultant behaviour specialist
We are lucky enough to have access to a referral behaviour service on the Langford site. The clinical animal behaviour service at the University of Bristol is a referral service that helps owners with undesirable or abnormal behaviour patterns in their pets. The service currently receives regular referrals from first opinion veterinary surgeons from a wide area of the country. The service is based at Langford, with the clinical staff being part of the internationally recognised Animal Welfare and Behaviour Group. Since all the clinicians are actively involved in companion animal behaviour and welfare research and scholarship, referring vets and pet owners can be assured that the advice that they receive is not only evidence based, but also at the forefront of current knowledge in the field.
For more information please follow the links below.