Do veterinarians have a behavior problem?

OCT 28, 2009

The more our society turns to pets for comfort and caring, the more pet owners identify problems with their behavior. That’s why veterinarians who specialize in behavior are becoming an increasingly popular addition to the cache of specialists at our disposal.

Meanwhile, many veterinarians in general practice seem to reserve a certain level of barely grudging respect for those who elect this “softball” field of practice.

As in…

A surgeon? Worth referring my patients to for things I can't do.

An internist? If I can’t figure it out I guess my patients deserve another set of eyes.

A behaviorist? Puh-lease.

Now, this is a sweeping generalization, of course, as not all vets roll their eyes in response to behavior medicine (even fewer would admit to it). But the number of vets entering this specialty speaks to the reality of the demand for it: low. As a service that relies on referrals from general practitioners, that means low interest from within the profession.

And that would be OK as long as our clients were getting the services they needed. Instead, it’s my opinion that few of us provide good comprehensive behavior services to our clients.

I know I don’t. When I have a challenging behavior issue I’ll either work with a trainer or I’ll refer to a veterinary behaviorist (ninety minutes away, unfortunately). I can’t possibly do these cases justice. Why? I haven’t sought the additional training necessary to give me confidence that I can do so.

Sure, vets should keep up with the basic and emerging issues in this subset of medicine, especially given the extremely common nature of behavior issues, but that doesn’t mean we do so on par with, let’s say, new approaches to gum disease.

And that begs the question: Why? Is it merely the smushiness of behavior, as it compares to the satisfying crunch of cardiology and ophthalmology (for example)?

I think it’s more. Honestly, I think it comes down to dollars and cents — as in, fewer of each. Considering the time spent in dark conference rooms getting versed on new issues in veterinary medicine, behavior seems less likely to earn its keep.

After all, behavior medicine takes time, patience, excellent client communication skills and yes, all the soft stuff we often like to avoid if we can. And then there’s the issue of profitability. A cat bite abscess? I can bring in $300 in 30 minutes with about $100 in supplies. An anxious dog with severe thunderstorm phobia? 30 minutes isn’t enough to do it justice. And $200 is far and away more than most are prepared to pay. See what I mean?

Nonetheless, we do our patients and our clients a disservice when we’re not well-trained in the basics or when we fail to refer cases that are deserving of a specialist. This is one area where vet medicine might need to get some remedial training.

Dr. Patty Khuly

4 COMMENTS

Prefer a Trainer

by PJBoosinger on 10/28/2009 12:27am

Sorry, going to take my dog to a decent dog trainer rather than a vet behaviorist. Cost isn't really the issue either, it's that most dog trainers, the good ones, spent years learning that one skill and it isn't being layered on top of a background of medicine that basically says pets don't "really" have emotions. However, I'm sure this field will grow as the numbers of good dog trainers declines. "Do veterinarians have a behavior problem?" Hm, time to stop typing.

What is PJ talking about?

by Galadriel on 10/28/2009 07:24am

Hrm, the vet behaviorists who looked at my dog didn't try to tell me that dogs "don't have emotions." As a matter of fact, they were able to help explain some, IMO, very strange behavior by discussing the dog's probable emotions and motivations. ~ ~ ~ Not only did they NOT try to tell me he didn't have emotions, they had a number of suggestions for manipulating his emotions to help him become more secure and relaxed. These exercises helped the dog immensely. I'd be thrilled to go back to a behaviorist for another intractable problem.

by Storm Dogs on 10/28/2009 07:32pm

My dog started having "issues" last year, so I took him to a Vet Behaviorist. He claimed that dogs can only feel a number of emotions that Humans can. For example; they cannot feel love in the way that Humans can, and guilt. Hmm, they can't feel guilt, as he says? After the visit, I meticulously watched my dog after correcting him. It seems as though they can feel guilt. What do you think?

issues

by Dr. Patty Khuly on 10/28/2009 08:43pm

I've written a Dolittler post on this:
http://www.dolittler.com/2009/06/6/Im-so-sorry-I-peed-on-the-rug-and-other-obvious-evidence-of-animal-regret.html

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Patty Khuly

VMD, MBA

...is a small animal veterinarian in Miami, Florida, where she practices medicine at Sunset Animal Clinic and serves on the board of the South Florida Veterinary Medical Association. She is a graduate of Wellesley College, the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, and The Wharton School of Business.

As a significant sideline, she writes...a lot. Apart from her daily blogging here at PetMD's FullyVetted, she authors weekly pet health columns for USA Today and The Miami Herald. She also writes a popular monthly column for Veterinary Practice News and serves as regular contributor to Veterinary Economics, The Bark, and the Veterinary News Network.

Dr. Khuly lives in South Miami with her brood of hens, goats, dogs, cats...and humans.