Behavioural Medicine
What is Veterinary Behavioural Medicine?
Veterinary behavioural medicine (VBM) is a branch of veterinary medicine that is concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of behaviour problems in animals.
Behavioural problems are medical conditions and often due to neurochemical imbalances in the brain. If your pet is showing signs of behavioural problems it is important to get them assessed. Treatment is effective and can help rebuild the bonds between owner and pet.
Dogs
In dogs, the most common reason for seeing a Veterinary Behaviourist is because of:
- Aggression towards family, strangers or other dogs.
- Anxiety
- Lack of Self-Control
- Strange and obsessive Behaviours
Cats
Cats are presented to us mostly for:
- Litter box troubles and spraying
- Aggression towards people and other cats
- Over-grooming.
Birds
Birds too can suffer from high anxiety. This is often shown through feather plucking or being excessively noisy. Many bird behaviour problems can be managed by paying attention to housing and routine but some are so severe that they need to be seen by a veterinary behaviourist.
About Veterinary Behaviourists
Veterinary behaviourists are veterinarians who have acquired membership of the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Science in Veterinary Behavioural Medicine (VBM) by examination. They have first studied veterinary medicine at University for a minimum of five years. They have then added to their knowledge by studying the behaviour of animals, how animals learn and the causes, diagnosis, management and treatment options for behaviour problems such as anxiety disorders and aggressive behaviours as well as management techniques for common behaviour issues. Before they can sit the membership examinations, they must have been in veterinary practice for a minimum of five years.
Specialists in Veterinary Behavioural Medicine
A registered veterinary specialist in veterinary behavioural medicine is a veterinarian who has undertaken further extensive study and research in veterinary behavioural medicine and been extensively examined in their knowledge of this field. They may be a Fellow of the Australian and New Zealand College of Australian Scientists, a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Behaviorist or a Diplomate of the European College of Veterinary Behavioural Medicine. Only then can they register with their veterinary practitioners’ board as a veterinary specialist.
Dr Jacqui Ley is one of three Veterinary Specialists in Veterinary Behavioural Medicine in Australia. As well as being a Fellow of the Australian and New Zealand College of Scientists, she is also a Diplomat of the European College of Animal Welfare and Behavioural Medicine.
Dr Ley offers behavioural services at the Melbourne Veterinary Specialist Centre and brings an extensive range of knowledge and experience to our Centre.
Why Have I Been Referred?
Sometimes a veterinarian or a trainer will suggest referral to a Veterinary Behaviourist for a particular behaviour problem. This is usually because they have recognised a behaviour of concern and want it investigated by someone who is properly qualified to do this, similar to your GP sending you to an eye or skin specialist when you have a problem.
Some problem behaviours may seem ‘not that important’ but can be pre-cursors to more serious problems, or may indicate an underlying problem that needs to be addressed. Your trainer or veterinarian has had experience with lots of different dogs and cats, and can recognise behaviour that is different or unusual. Just like people, your pet may have an excessively high level of anxiety, or may have abnormal or inappropriate responses to other animals, people or noises.
Shouldn’t a good trainer be able to fix the problem?
Just like a school teacher can identify that a child has a problem that needs further investigation and help, a good trainer can identify when an animal’s responses are abnormal or when an animal is overly anxious. Good trainers help owners and animals develop skills for living together. Good trainers do not diagnose and treat psychological problems in animals- this is the role of the Veterinary Behaviourist.
Veterinary Behaviourists and trainers often work together. Some trainers have extra training so they are qualified to work with animals with problems and their owners. The trainer helps you to learn how to implement the behaviour modification program prescribed by your veterinary behaviourist.
Trainers are always welcome to visit the Melbourne Veterinary Specialist Centre with their clients. Please mention this when you are making your appointment.
What is involved in a Behaviour Consultation?
A behaviour consultation is a chance for you to discuss your pet’s problems and to start helping them. Before you come to the appointment, you need to fill in a behaviour history form. These forms are available below.
It can be helpful to bring along footage of your pet when they are doing the problem behaviour. However, DO NOT put yourself, anyone else, your pet or someone else’s pet at risk to film the behaviour. Footage or photographs of damage can also be helpful to us in understanding the problem.
The veterinary behaviourist will sit down with you and work through the history form with you to get more in depth information. During this time, they will also be observing your pet and how it copes in a new situation (the consultation room). They will then explain their diagnosis and develop a treatment plan with you for your pet.
Behaviour consultations take time and you need to be present for them. Some of this time will be spent discussing possible outcomes, devising a specific behaviour modification program and helping you understand why your pet does the things they do.
How We Practice Veterinary Behavioural Medicine
In order to diagnose and treat behaviour problems a thorough knowledge of normal behaviour for each species of animal is required. A thorough understanding of veterinary medicine is also essential as many diseases affect behaviour. Additionally, knowledge of brain function, learning and memory, and developmental processes is needed to allow for the diagnosis of behaviour problems and to formulate treatment plans to help affected animals.
Each animal is an individual and has a different requirement for company, activity and rest, which must be supplied for their health and welfare. Recognising how they react to stress is also important to understanding their behaviour.
A VBM consultation is different from a visit to your regular veterinarian. You will be asked to fill in a comprehensive history form (download from our website) before the consultation and bring it, along with your pet, to the appointment. Appointments are generally much longer than regular visits to your veterinarian and usually take approximately 2–3 hours. The veterinary behaviourist will then spend a lot of time taking a detailed history in order to better understand your animal’s behaviour. For example, you will be asked to describe how your animal spends its days, the behaviour problem in detail as well as when it first occurred and when it tends to occur. Sometimes other problems are identified while the history is being obtained.
A diagnosis is made that describes each problem identified in the history. The diagnoses are explained thoroughly as understanding these are important to understanding how to manage your pet’s problem. Prognosis is also discussed and a treatment and management plan presented that is tailored to your individual situation.
Management has three parts: 1. Environmental management, 2. Behaviour modification and sometimes 3. Medication, which together take into account the animal and the environment in which it lives.
- Environmental management involves altering the animal’s environment to minimise the potential to display the undesirable behaviour. You may be asked to alter your animal’s exercise program or block its access to parts of your house;
- The behaviour modification program is designed to help manage the animal and help it learn calm, relaxed behaviour;
- Some animals also need medication to help manage their behaviour. Just like diabetic animals need insulin, some animals need medication that alters specific neurochemicals within their brain. Using medication early in the management of a behaviour problem can maximise the animal’s response to treatment and minimise the chances of further problems developing.
Having an animal with a behaviour problem may be damage the bond between people and their pets and make living and working with these pets hard. Diagnosis and treatment can help. If you have any concerns about your animal’s behaviour, please contact us.
Why is seeing a Veterinary Behaviourist different to going to a dog trainer?
The focus of behaviour modification is very different from obedience training. A behaviour consultation is not a replacement for dog obedience training classes. While obedience training is still an important part of teaching your dog good manners, behavioural problems are not the same as training problems. Many highly trained obedience dogs still require a behavioural consultation as their problem is not related to training or lack thereof.
Behaviour History Forms
Please complete the relevant behaviour history form for your pet. If two or more pets are involved (such as two dogs fighting) please complete a form for both pets. Please bring the completed form/s to your appointment.
The behaviour history forms are long and detailed and cover not only your pet’s problem but all parts of your pet’s life. This helps us get a clear picture of what is happening, identify other problems and also things that may be adding to the problem. Don’t worry if you don’t have all the answers but the more detail we have the better we can understand the problem.