Beyond Obedience

How behavior shapes the health and happiness of pets.

K9 Leon had an important job to do, but something was getting in the way. He was a certified FEMA Disaster Response Dog, highly trained and highly trainable. But he also had an extreme fear of veterinary care after a serious illness in puppyhood. Unfortunately, Leon was dismissed from multiple veterinary practices for being dangerous before coming to Mercer Island Veterinary Clinic for help.

“During his younger years, we trained Leon to wear a muzzle and allow a trained sedation procedure,” said Monique Feyrecilde, BA, LVT, VTS (Behavior). “We were able to administer stress-free medications so he could have all the necessary treatments without creating any new negative memories of the veterinary visit.”

In middle age, Leon was diagnosed with cancer. When he was presented to the oncologist, they were unable to treat him because he could not be safely handled. Instead, the oncologist agreed to guide Leon’s care remotely, facilitated by the Mercer Island hospital team.

Because Leon would need to give blood every 7-14 days and sedation would be less than ideal, his family agreed to a training program with Feyrecilde. Using positive reinforcement and Cooperative Veterinary Care training techniques, she was able to condition Leon for voluntary blood collection and physical examination.

Leon was able to have his cancer successfully treated, and to give blood regularly without the need for sedation for several years.

“Without our behavior team’s intervention, Leon would not have been able to receive treatment for his cancer,” said Feyrecilde. “We were able to improve his quality of life, prolong his life, and allow him to continue to be part of his family and part of the FEMA dog team until his retirement due to age.”

Cases like K9 Leon’s may not have had a happy ending years ago. Fortunately, awareness of behavior seems to be more widespread with each passing year, said Feyrecilde. Fear Free and the Low Stress Handling movement as well as the Feline Friendly Practices program, iCatCare Veterinary Society, The OSU’s Indoor Pet Initiative, and numerous other local and national programs help with visibility about behavior and the many layers of assistance available to families.

Why animal behavior matters

Camp Bow Wow’s animal health and behavioral expert Erin Askeland, M.Sc., CPDT-KA, CBCC-KA believes awareness of behavioral health in pets has significantly increased recently, following the growing recognition of mental health in humans. “Pet owners and veterinarians alike are more attuned to the psychological needs of animals, recognizing that behavioral issues can impact pets’ happiness and longevity,” Askeland said. “This awareness has led to improved preventive care, early intervention for behavior problems, and greater emphasis on positive training methods.”

Animal behavior plays an important role in veterinary medicine because it directly impacts the health and well-being of animals, Askeland said. Understanding behavior helps veterinarians diagnose and treat various conditions, manage pain and stress, and improve the overall quality of life for their patients. “Behavior issues can often be linked to underlying medical conditions or may contribute to the development of physical ailments, making it essential for veterinarians to address both behavioral and medical aspects of their patients’ health.”

Most of the things that pet parents notice about their pets, whether it’s something cute or distressing, is a behavior, said Lisa Radosta, DVM, DACVB, board certified veterinary behaviorist. For instance, if a pet is lethargic, that is a change in behavior and can mean a very serious medical problem. Or it can mean the pet has a behavior problem.

“This is just one of many examples of how there is overlap between what we historically have believed is medical and what is behavioral,” she said.

Additionally, behavioral clinical signs are often the first sign that something is wrong. “By paying attention to these signs, we can increase the quality of life of the pets with whom we share our world,” Dr. Radosta said. “Addressing the behaviors of animals is not just about helping them to be more obedient, it is about changing their quality of life.”

All animals “behave” and learn all the time, said Feyrecilde. “Animals use their behavior to communicate their needs, wants and emotions with us.”

By better understanding animal behavior, veterinary professionals can keep themselves safer at work, promote emotional welfare for pets within and outside the veterinary clinic.

Common cases

Feyrecilde listed the following as the most common behaviors of concern reported by clients and their impacts:

• Fear of veterinary care and body handling. This diminishes physical welfare by limiting access to veterinary care and home husbandry. It also compromises the safety of pet families and veterinary teams.

• Discomfort with strangers (avoidance or distance-increasing displays like lunging, barking, hissing and swatting). “For dogs, this makes it really challenging to provide social interaction, walks, mental stimulation, environmental variety and feelings of safety within the home,” Feyrecilde said. “For cats, the same is largely true.”

One often overlooked aspect of these behaviors is the impact on the social life of the family. When it is impossible to have guests, children can’t have friends over and families miss out on important interactions for human well-being.

“Discomfort with strangers can compromise human safety, leading to bites or scratches, and also emotional harm resulting in fear of animals,” she said. In some instances, animals may be uncomfortable with certain members of the family, but apparently well-bonded to others. This can lead to significant friction within the household and injure family relationships.

• Discomfort with other animals (avoidance, distance-increasing displays). The fallout from discomfort with other animals is similar to that seen with discomfort around strangers. These cases become more complex when the discomfort is with other animals within the same household. Conflict between pets in the same family harms the emotional safety of all the animals and humans involved, as well as potentially compromising physical safety. “All of these concerns carry the risk of temporary or permanent injury to the human-animal-bond, and can be accompanied by significant social, financial and emotional strain for families,” Feyrecilde said.

• Separation-related distress. Animals who are distressed when alone at home experience a great deal of suffering. These animals need immediate help from a behavior team, including a veterinarian and a consultant to facilitate management and behavior modification. Sometimes even with the very best care, separation-related distress can have a guarded prognosis.

“When families are unable to leave pets alone at home, it creates huge barriers to being able to work outside the home, run errands, participate in family events and gatherings, etc.,” Feyrecilde noted. When pets are left home alone while distressed, this causes emotional and sometimes physical harm to the pet, and often emotional harm in the form of guilt, sadness, anger, distress and panic for the human family members.

Dr. Radosta would like veterinary teams to consider the concept of behavioral changes instead of behavioral problems or issues. “When we think of it that way, we’re not waiting for the behavior to be awful to see,” she said. We are ready to see when the behavior changes from what is considered normal for that animal.”

If a pet parent notices any behavior change, Dr. Radosta encourages them to make a note of it and to seek help from their veterinarian. Sometimes the veterinarian will tell the pet owner to hang tight and monitor because there isn’t an obvious reason for the behavior change. “Sometimes this is the right thing to do because we can’t find a cause for the behavior change and it doesn’t seriously affect the pet’s quality of life,” she said. However, I can assure you that animals don’t just change their behavior patterns on a whim. If you think there’s something going on with your pet, you’re probably right.”

Common misconceptions

There are a lot of common misconceptions when it comes to a pet’s behavior, but one of the most common ones Dr. Radosta sees is the idea that a problem of fear, anxiety, stress, panic, conflict or frustration can just be trained out of the animal. What’s more, that punishment-based training such as shock collar, choke collar or pinch collar will somehow magically make the problem disappear. “Not only is this a misconception, but it’s downright dangerous,” she said. “Animals who have behavior related to stress need a holistic approach, including assessment of overall health and wellness, reduction of stress and behavior modification to help them learn to cope.”

Inaccurate information and bad advice about animal behavior are in disappointingly great supply. Some common misconceptions families have mentioned to Feyrecilde include:

• Pets perform the problem behavior to get attention.

• Pets feel spite or want revenge on their families for a perceived slight.

• Dogs showing lunging and barking behaviors toward strangers are always protecting their families.

• Cats are too independent to be trained.

• Animals act out to show their “dominance” over humans.

• Showing extreme fear or aggressive displays in the veterinary office or groomer is normal.

• Nurture is more important than nature, or “it’s all in how you raise them.”

Veterinarians and behavioral health

Now more than ever, veterinarians are taught to refer to specialists like Dr. Radosta. “And I am grateful for that because it allows us to have a team approach to the patient,” she said.

The pet parent, the patient, the trainer, and the primary care veterinarian are all a part of the team, along with the specialist. “Primary care veterinarians may not know that the medications they are prescribing interact with the medications that I’m prescribing, or they may not know the input of certain disease processes, or medications into the patient’s behavior,” Dr. Radosta said. “Almost 100% of the time I refer my patients to training professionals. That is true of not only dogs, but cats as well. Again, we have to break down barriers here and consider that working with a trainer is not just about teaching obedience.”

It can also be about rearrangement of the environment so that owners can live with their pet and reduce the behavior problem likelihood quickly. Also, a highly skilled dog training professional can help the pet to learn coping tools and help them to be happier on a regular basis.

Medication’s role in behavioral treatment plans

Medication can play a vital role in improving quality of life for animals and their families when used correctly and when necessary, Feyrecilde said. Veterinarians who are qualified to treat behavior cases will need to establish a diagnosis. Based on the veterinarian’s diagnosis, medication may be prescribed as part of the pet’s treatment plan. The goals of medication are to:

• Decrease emotional and physical distress for the pet.

• Facilitate behavior modification. Make it easier for families to work with their pets toward their goals.

• Some pets take medication as a lifelong need, while others need medication for a short period of time or only for certain situations.

• In every case, a veterinarian needs to guide the medication process. There’s no need for stigma around psychotropic medications for animals: Mental health is health!

Medication is one tool in the toolbox for providers, Dr. Radosta said. “I think that we should be talking not solely about medication but changing the neurochemistry of the brain with supplements, medication and diet,” she said. “We talk a lot about medication because that can be exciting and controversial, but there are supplements out there and diets that can help to decrease stress. I would encourage people to think of all options for their pet and listen to what educated sources have to say before making a decision about how to proceed with treatment.”

For example, some people come into the exam room wanting a medication and then learn the cost or the side effects and don’t feel comfortable, whereas just as many other people come into the exam room saying they don’t want a medication, but when they hear what medication can do for their pet, they change their mind. The best thing for pets is for the pet parent to have an open mind and then to make the best decision they can with the information they have available.

“The medication supplements and diets that we use to change the stress level in our patients are safe when prescribed appropriately.”

Worthwhile work

Feyrecilde said when she truly sees a pet communicate successfully, relax and have the skills they need to live their best life (access to health care, exercise, social interactions, etc.), it’s intensely rewarding. “Being a witness to the wonder in a person when they see they can help their animal have a better life is really rewarding.”

She said it’s also rewarding to see a veterinary professional’s face light up when they change a handling strategy and the animal calms down, is safer and allows more treatments.

The most challenging (and also rewarding) part of Feyrecilde’s work is having difficult and highly emotional conversations. Whether it is with clients who are struggling with their own pets, or fellow professionals, a deep love of animals can create a great deal of emotional strain when behavior becomes a problem. “I have committed to developing a good understanding of how to have these crucial conversations from a truly empathetic and non-judgmental place,” she said. “It has been a challenging process, but 100% worthwhile.”

People come to Dr. Radosta often desperate, stressed and frustrated. They’ve been shamed and blamed by everyone around them. “I get the privilege of looking at them and saying we got this, we can make this better,” she said.

Changing the behavior of the family that lives with the pet isn’t easy. “We all come with our own baggage and our own expectations of what pets should be. Sometimes it takes several appointments before we can make headway and encourage people to really accept their pet for who they are once they can let go of their unrealistic expectations,” she said. “The door is wide open for all kinds of treatment options, but as long as they’re holding onto those unrealistic expectations, it’s very hard to move forward.”

Early signs

Early signs of behavioral issues that pet owners should look out for include:

• Avoidance of people, animals, surfaces, objects or new experiences.
• Shyness or being “slow to warm up” to people, pets or things.
• Any sudden changes in behavior. One example would be an animal moving away from hands when they previously would lean into petting.
• Fear or aggression during veterinary care or grooming.
• Changes in social interactions: Hiding or avoiding, frantically seeking attention.
• “Big” feelings. Anything that seems like an overreaction given the situation and the pet’s level of experience.

Benefits of a social pet

A poll of 2,000 U.S. dog owners found 91% of respondents believe it’s important that their dogs be socialized, providing a foundation for building friendship. Commissioned by Camp Bow Wow, a dog daycare and boarding franchise, and conducted by Talker Research, the survey also revealed:

• 54% of dog owners believe their dogs have their own friend groups among other dogs, and 69% of them said their dog even has a best dog friend.
• Eight in ten believe their dogs feel “very” happy when they get to see their dog friends, but 69% think their dogs should be able to see their own friends even more than they currently do.
• Nearly two-thirds (63%) believe their dog hangs out with their dog friends more than the owner hangs out with their own friends.
• 83% said they feel a “sense of accomplishment” as pet parents when their dog is well-socialized and able to make new friends.

Pet socialization has several benefits, said Camp Bow Wow’s animal health and behavioral expert Erin Askeland. First, it leads to reduced stress. “Socialized pets are more confident in unfamiliar situations, leading to lower stress levels.”

Second, socialization improves a pet’s resilience. “Pets that are well-socialized are better equipped to handle changes and new experiences.”

Third, socialization enhances overall well-being. “Well-socialized pets often exhibit fewer behavior problems and enjoy a higher quality of life.”

Photo credits: istockphoto.com/niuniu