My pet has a behavior problem: What do you do now? (Proceedings)

Behavioral practice requires

• Gather information

• Make a diagnosis

• Develop a treatment plan

     o Behavior modification

     o Environmental Management

     o Medication

     o Surgery

• What do you need to learn?

• What is the problem?

• What factors in the environment contribute to the existence of the problem?

• What factors in the environment may be important to the resolution of the problem?

     o How motivated are the owners to resolve the problem? (How much time, effort and money are they willing to put into treatment?)

Collection of information

• Communication with persons familiar with the animal

• Client fills out history form

• Direct interview

• Client fills out form

     o Advantages: Time efficient for practitioner, Client has leisure to think about answers, especially if filled out at home in advance

     o Disadvantages: Client may misinterpret questions and practitioner may not realize this as reviews answers, May miss opportunities for digressions into areas that are pertinent to understanding the case

Direct interview

• Advantages: Information is likely to come out in conversational context that will not come out during written context, Many opportunities for practitioner to explain and interpret questions as history is collected

• Disadvantages: Most time-consuming technique, Some clients will digress at length, May need excellent interviewing skills to keep interview "on topic"

Blend

• Review history form that client has filled out

• Develop list of questions that arise out of initial answers

• Short interview

• Using blended technique in general practice

• During routine exam you are told, "Doc, my pet does X"

• You quickly determine that there is not a five-minute answer to the question

• Give history form to take home and fill out

• May also give diary sheets to be filling out until returns

• Make appointment to return for longer behavioral consult

Separate history forms for different species/problems

• For cats with elimination behavior problems, you will want detailed information about management of the litter and the litterbox

• For cats and dogs with problems of aggressive behavior, you will want detailed descriptions of as many incidents as the owners can recall.

General practice

• Have a generic history form, by species

• Have problem-specific forms for the problems that are commonly presented to your practice and that you are comfortable working with

Signalment

• Breed, Gender, Age

• All affect probabilities of specific diagnoses

• Problem Behaviors

• Chief Complaint

• When did the problem begin?

General description

• Client is most interested in talking about this

• Gives you information about what will be the most important topics of discussion

Specific description

• You need empirical information

• Ask for specific description of multiple incidents, beginning with the most recent.

• Subjective information (clients tend to give)

• "Rex gets mad if he thinks I'm going to disturb his dinner."

• "Charley is jealous of the new kitten."

• "Chelsea gets spiteful when I leave on a trip."

• "Puff is afraid of my boyfriend."

Meaning?

• What does Rex's owner mean when she says he gets mad if he thinks she's going to disturb his dinner?

• Clarify terms: Aggression, Spraying, Urinating, Fear

• "My dog has a problem with aggression"

Description of an incident of aggression

• Who was present?

• What was the victim doing immediately prior to the incident?

• What were other individuals doing immediately prior to the incident?

• Exactly what did the animal do?

• What happened immediately after the incident?

• Body posture/Communication? Ears? Tail? Eye stare? Crouch/Stand?

Spraying vs. urinating

• When did the problem begin?

• When does the problem behavior occur?

• How often does the behavior occur?

• Under what circumstances does the behavior occur?

• Has there been a change in the frequency or appearance of the problem?

• Problems of long duration may have gone through several permutations.

• Environmental changes occurring at the same time may be significant

• If it is getting worse or better, there must be a reason.

• What has been done so far to correct the problem?

• Has the client already attempted treatments you might recommend?

• If so, with what success?

• Have they attempted the treatment accurately?

• What medications have previously been prescribed by other veterinarians?

• What were the results?

• Side-effects in this animal?

• Are there any other behavior problems?

• Develop a problem list

• The pet may have other problems which the owner didn't mention because they considered them less important or untreatable.

Current environment

• Humans

• Other animals

• Housing and Management

• What persons are in the animal's environment?

• Who does the animal routinely interact with?

• What is the relationship between the animal and the various individuals it routinely interacts with?

• What are the people's schedules?

• Has there been a change?

• What other animals are in the environment?

• Species, Gender, Age,

• Relationship with the animal with the problem?

Housing and management

• Is there a fenced-in back yard?

• How is the animal exercised?

• Where is the animal kept during various times of the day?

• Where are the litterboxes kept?

• How often is the litter cleaned?

• Where is the animal fed?

Early history

• Source of Animal?

• Stray? Breeder? Friend gave up pet?

• Age when obtained?

• Previous owners?

• Any information about behavior at former household?

• Why was pet given up?

• Not likely to help current treatment, but may help owner understanding and thereby improve owner motivation and compliance with treatment protocol.

• If a dog has a history of abandonment, the owner may better accept that its destructiveness is due to anxiety/arousal when left alone, and not due to "spite"

Training and learning

• How was the pet house-trained/litterbox trained?

• Dogs-Has the pet been taught basic obedience? How? How well does it obey commands now?

• Dogs and Cats-Has the pet been taught any special commands or tricks?

Other behaviors

• Sexual

• Mounting?

• Ever bred?

• Maternal

• Had puppies/kittens?

• Grooming-Pet's response?

Medical

• Illness, injuries or elective surgery around the time the problem began?

• Previously diagnosed chronic medical problems?

• Previous or current medication for the behavior problem?

Observations during interview

• Where does the animal go?

• Body posture/Communication by pet?

• To Veterinarian/Technician

• To Owner/Family

Direct exam by veterinarian?

• Carefully consider what you have learned from the owner and from observation of the pet's behavior during the interview.

• Is it safe to conduct any kind of direct examination?

• Will it be useful?

• Direct exam by veterinarian?

• Eye stare?

• Have the owner hold the leash

• Learning?

• Demonstrate pet's ability to learn