Lore I. Haug, DVM, MS, DACVB

Concrete steps you can take in reaching a decision.

A look at the positive and negative indicators for anxiety and aggression treatment outcome.

Our knowledge of the brain on the neurochemical, genetic and molecular level is increasing steadily each year. Despite this, little is definitively known about the neurochemical correlates of various disease processes. Much of our knowledge concerning the etiology of mental illness comes from response to pharmacological intervention.

Frustrated by that cat with chronic progressive renal disease that won't eat anything but its old diet? What about the cat that exhibits enduring anorexia after being ill even though you can't find any persisting medical reason? While there often are no simple answers for fixing these cases, there are simple ways to prevent your new kitten patients from developing into a future finicky eater.

Feline housesoiling still represents the most common reason cat owners seek behavioral advice from their veterinarian. Inappropriate elimination can be seen in all ages and breeds of cats and often can be frustrating to resolve. The causes are multiple and sometimes complex.

In some situations, practitioners are left trying to determine whether an animal's behavioral change reflects a medical issue or a behavioral problem. This distinction is fuzzy and frequently artificial. An individual's genetics, behavior and physiology are so intimately entwined with each other as to make them inseparable as discreet components.