Behavioral training for the hospital team

Veterinary Behavior is a recognized veterinary medical specialty in North America (American College of Veterinary Behaviorists or ACVB) and in Europe (European College of Veterinary Behavioral Medicine – Companion Animals or ECVBM-CA). In Australia, one can become a Fellow of the Australian College of Veterinary Scientists in Animal Behaviour. Veterinary technicians in North America can now achieve certification from the Academy of Veterinary Behavioral Technicians. Ensuring behavioral health is also an important welfare issue. To this end behavior is now a subspecialty of the European College of Animal Welfare and Behavioural Medicine. In addition to providing behavior counseling services, veterinarians play a key role in ensuring that the welfare and needs of the pet are addressed. Yet the minimum behavioral welfare requirements for the housing and enrichment of farm, zoo, and laboratory-housed animals, known as the five freedoms (Box 1.1), may far exceed what is being provided for many household pets. Many of the commonly reported behavior problems can be attributed at least in part to animals being adopted and left at home alone while family members are working or at school, with few outlets for the pet to display its normal behavior repertoires. By applying the five freedoms of animal welfare to our family pets, behavioral and physical well-being could be dramatically improved.

While behavioral education of veterinarians should be considered critical, behavioral education is still lacking at a majority of veterinary colleges in North America and around the world. Therefore veterinary practices must actively seek continuing education opportunities for both veterinarians and staff. Specialty training and residency programs might be a consideration for those wishing to seek board certification as a veterinary behaviorist or veterinary behavioral technician (Box 1.2). However, veterinarians and technicians need not become specialists to be able to offer behavioral advice competently. This book is intended to provide concise and practical information for the busy veterinarian. Since the field of behavior is constantly evolving, veterinarians and staff must continue to seek continuing education opportunities in behavior to gain a greater understanding of the field. An excellent start would be to join at least one behavioral interest group: American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB), Society of Veterinary Behavioral Technicians, Companion Animal Behavior Therapy Study Group, European Society of Veterinary Clinical Ethology, or the Australian Veterinary Behaviour Interest Group (Box 1.3). Membership in these organizations generally provides access to newsletters containing updates on future continuing education opportunities. Most major conferences also provide behavior continuing education for veterinarians and technicians. Also be certain to stock your clinic library with books and journals on the behavior of dogs and cats.

An excellent place to begin staff training is to collect the resources used in the practice for client education. Both staff and veterinarians can then familiarize themselves with this information so that they gain the expertise to discuss each topic, which can then be supported by the reading and resource material (Box 1.4). Also review client education sites on the internet and provide links to those that you consider useful from your clinic website. For a comprehensive list of client and veterinary resources, see Appendix B.

Providing behavioral services in practice

Behavioral problems are best prevented. Should problems begin to arise, the greatest success is likely to be achieved with early intervention. Therefore, particular attention should be placed in the preventive management program as well as monitoring behavioral health at every veterinary visit. In fact, since any change in behavior could be due to underlying medical problems, behavioral screening at each visit should be a critical component of every veterinary visit (see Chapter 6). The use of a questionnaire helps to ensure that nothing is missed (Forms 1.1 and 1.2).

A wide range of behavior services can be offered at each veterinary clinic. These are highlighted in Table 1.1. Each has the effect of promoting healthy behavior in pets and reinforces the notion that the veterinary practice is a complete healthcare provider.

Table 1.1 Behavioral services

Services should be divided into: (1) those that are intended to improve the bond and prevent the development of behavior problems; (2) screening and monitoring for changes in behavior both as a component of medical healthcare as well as for early identification and intervention for emerging behavior issues; and (3) dealing with pets with problem behaviors.

Successful implementation might best be achieved using a team approach, in order to utilize best the time and expertise of office staff, nurses, technicians, and veterinarians.

Practitioners should focus on providing advice that might prevent problems that lead to relinquishment and surrender, and those problems that are most commonly reported by pet owners. The distribution of cases at referral practices represents those that are less common but more likely to require more indepth consultation services (or referral) (Tables 1.2 and 1.3).

Table 1.2 Behavior problems in dogs