Sometimes our pets are overwhelming and we can feel helpless, as well as hopeless, about how to correct behavior issues. Five Points Veterinary Clinic can help to empower you to take back control and create a more loving and controlled home life for you and your family, as well as your pet.


Behavior consultations are helpful to address many common animal behavior problems, including:
  • aggression toward people or other animals, inside or outside of the home;
  • anxiety, including specific fears and phobias such as separation anxiety and thunderstorm phobia;
  • compulsive disorders, including: tail chasing, shadow chasing, flank sucking, acral lick dermatitis, psychogenic alopecia, and wool sucking;
  • species-typical behaviors, such as urine spraying;
  • nuisance behaviors including: excessive barking, digging, nipping, and jumping up on people;
Treatment usually involves a combination of behavior modification for pets and management changes for owners. In some cases, using behavior modification as well as drug therapy is required to resolve the problem. If medication is determined necessary, it is frequently used in conjunction with behavior modification and rarely used alone.
 
Established behaviors take time to change and you should expect a minimum course of behavior modification to be about eight weeks. Pharmacological intervention takes longer, and typically requires a 6-12 month course of treatment. The longer a particular behavior has gone on, the more difficult it is to change that behavior. Some behaviors, like aggression, may require lifelong management. Often aggression, much like diabetes, can not be cured, only managed successfully.

Setting the Appointment

If your family pet has a behavior that concerns you, please consult with your regular veterinarian first because many behavior problems can be due to an underlying health problem.

Your veterinarian can rule out health reasons for the behavior change with a physical examination and sometimes bloodwork. Often times, having a baseline CBC, chemistry, urinalysis and thyroid is extremely helpful. Please ask your veterinarian to fax any bloodwork results prior to your appointment- or bring a copy of the results with you to your behavior consult.

After your pet has visited your regular veterinarian, please call our office at 724-375-7505 to schedule a behavior consultation.  We encourage as many family members as possible to attend this appointment.
Preparing for the Appointment

Please download and complete a behavior history questionnaire in the behavior Consultation Forms section on our website. Please fill out this packet with as much detail as possible and return it to the clinic at least 3 business days prior to your scheduled appointment.

We encourage as many family members as possible to attend the consultation appointment. We also ask that your pet be hungry when arriving to the consultation.

If aggression is occurring between dogs in the same household (sibling rivalry) video of interactions can be very helpful. A video tape of the dogs outside interacting with each other without owners present (shoot the video through a window, for example) and also video tape of the dogs interacting inside with the owners present would be ideal. We understand that in some cases acquiring the video tape may not be possible for safety reasons.

What to bring to the appointment:
  • your pet's favorite treats- in small, easy to swallow pieces- at least 1-2 measured cups
  • all collars, leashes and training tools you've used with your pet
  • a videotape of your pet interacting at home or demonstrating behaviors you are concerned about.Please include anything on the videotape that you feel may be helpful to us. However, please do not put anyone at risk of injury.
  • If you are bringing a cat that has an inappropriate elimination problem or if there is aggression between cats in the household, it is very helpful if you bring a diagram of your home showing:
    • Where that cat is eliminating
    • Note whether the elimination is urine or BM
    • Note the location of windows and doors
    • Note the location of food/water bowls/scratching posts
    • Note the location of litter boxes
    • Areas where you cat(s) spend the majority of their time
When multiple cats live in the same household it is helpful to see video tape of their interactions.
 
 
What to Expect at the Appointment
 
Your pet's behavior consultation appointment will last for approximately 60-90 minutes. During that time Dr. Day will take a very detailed history of your pet's behavior. This allows her to give you a complete explanation (behavior diagnosis) of what is happening with your pet and explain the likely reasons for why it started.

Treatment Plans
An individualized treatment plan will be created for your pet with your input. You will receive this plan in writing. You may also request that a copy be sent to your veterinarian. Dr. Day will go through each step of the treatment plan with you to make sure you understand every aspect.  Sometimes a referral to a qualified dog trainer is made to help demonstrate and instruct you on training techniques and the prescribed behavior modification plan. As part of the treatment, your dog may be fitted with a Gentle Leader Head Collar.

Follow-up Care
Feel free to contact us at any time with any questions or problems you may have. We may periodically contact you by phone and/or e-mail for updates. Dr. Day may recommend a follow-up appointment if your pet has multiple problems, an extensive treatment plan, if we are not making progress, or if there are new developments in your case. Follow-up appointments last approximately 30-60 minutes.
 
Appointment Fees

The fee for the initial canine consultation is $150-300. This estimate includes the consultation fee and possible training equipment, and initial screening bloodwork. Further bloodwork and/or anxiolytic medications may be recommended.  

There is a $75 fee for a follow-up consultation. Approximately 50% of our cases require a follow up consultation appointment. The doctor will determine whether a follow up appointment is required during the initial appointment or during future progress reports.

The fee for an initial feline consultation is $100. Appointments usually require 1 hour to complete. Most feline appointments require a preliminary general blood chemistry, complete blood count and urinalysis to be completed by the referring veterinarian before the patient arrives for their appointment.

Cancellation Policy

We require at least 48 hours notification if you will not be able to keep you pet's scheduled appointment. Your account will be charged 50% of the consultation fee if we not receive 48 hours cancellation notification. Please call 724-375-7505 if you need to cancel your scheduled appointment.