At Erindale Animal Hospital we take every aspect of your pet’s health very seriously, which is why we offer extended consultations and questionnaires to get to the bottom of your pet’s behavioural issues. Dr. Vivienne Jones has over two decades of animal behaviour experience to help you and your pet navigate everything from basic house training to complicated inappropriate toileting behaviours.
We also take your pet’s stress and the resulting behaviour very seriously, which is why we have Adaptil and Feliway pheromone diffusers in our clinic and can advise the best use of these products in your home for specific behavioural issues. We can also recommend prescription diets that contain nutraceutical products such as the Calm or C/D Urinary Stress diets to help reduce your pet’s stress levels and get back to their healthy, happy self.
Managing behavioural issues takes time and commitment, but there are ways to both prevent these issues before they occur and to treat them once they have begun.
Exercise:
Exercise is very important for your pet, no matter what their size or breed. Exercise is not only important for meeting your pet’s physical needs, but it also serves to promote mental well-being. Every dog and cat needs to be provided with the opportunity to expend their energy in a constructive way. For some this may be as simple as a quick walk around the block, while for other high energy pets, additional exercise in the form of long walks, ball playing, running, or swimming may be required to meet their exercise needs. For pets with high-energy levels, doggy daycare, treadmills, and specialty classes are great options. Regular outings provide opportunities for exploring their environment, and socializing with other pets and people. Cats should also be provided with structured play-times that mimic their natural hunting and prey seeking behaviours. Some exercise options include playing with toys on a string, feeding balls, and kitty agility courses.
Environmental Enrichment:
Environmental enrichment provides your pet with mental stimulation, redirecting their attention and energy away from destructive behaviours. Environmental enrichment for dogs can include providing toys to play with and chew on, feeding balls and interactive puzzle toys. For cats enrichment can include interactive treat toys/games, toys (with/without catnip), accessible vertical perches and space, and scratching posts/trees in opportune locations where they can “bird watch” or just sit and sun bathe.
Additional Interventions:
When exercise and environmental enrichment aren’t enough there are further options to keep your pet’s mind and body healthy. For dogs that require extra exercise and attention during the day, there is the option of sending them to doggy daycare. This will help to prevent potential destruction to the house, or harm and distress to themselves when left loose or in a kennel. You can also use a treadmill to exercise your pet indoors during the winter months or to save time year-round. Specialty training like agility, rally-o, and scent classes can be fun for both you and your pet, benefiting both mental and physical health.
For those pets that experience increased levels of anxiety there are pheromone products for both dogs (Adaptil) and cats (Feliway) that are available as plug-in diffusers for the home, collars to be worn at all times or sprays that can be used during times of increased stress. There are also nutraceutical products such as Zylkene or Anxitane, as well as special diets that are specially formulated to calm anxious pets.
Behavioural Modification And Drug Therapy:
Although we hope it never gets to this point, there are options for cases where you need a little extra help. Behaviour modification therapies can help pets change the way they behave in specific anxiety triggering situations. Pharmacological interventions may be recommended by your veterinarian concurrent with behaviour modification protocols to alleviate anxiety while retraining pets to redirect their anxious energy into positive behaviour.
Behavioural Consults
Behavioural issues present in both our canine and feline companions which can make for a strained relationship with them. Some of the problem behaviours seen can be minor and even go unnoticed, while others can be significant and impact our day-to-day life. Dogs can become quite destructive when they are stressed, if they have anxiety or due to boredom. They can bite strangers or even important members of our family that they do not bond with as much, which can cause a rush of emotions and an immediately need to rectify the situation. Cats will typically show changes to litterbox habits to show their emotions which can destroy personal property. Other cats may over groom themselves or even become aggressive to their owner’s or other pets in the household that they once loved. It can be hard sometimes to know what is causing our pets to behave like this and in turn can be difficult to help them through this. At Erindale Animal Hospital we can work with you and your situation to help find a solution. We would take a detailed history and have you fill out a questionnaire to be sure we are understanding the entire situation. Then offer a variety of options starting with diagnostic testing to be sure there is not a medical problem causing the behaviour change. Once any health related issues have been ruled out or treated some training methods may be suggested, some lifestyle/household changes may need to take place and then the option for behaviour modification medications may be offered. If you think your pet might be showing some changes in behaviour please contact us right away so that we can help your pet feel better sooner rather than later.
Please call us today to book a behaviour consultation to discuss your pet’s specific behaviour needs.