Veterinary Behaviour Chat

Episode 106 – Multi-Cat Households - Treating more than just the Patients   Here in the UAE, I see many multi-cat households with behavioural presentations. These households can range from 2 to 32 (my biggest ever MCH!) cats and are hugely complex to understand, assess, evaluate and treat.   If you know anything about feline behaviour, you know that cats are socially flexible, non-socially obligat...

Episode 105 – 15-minute Speed Coaching with Sharon Jones   Welcome to our brand-new episode format – 15-minute Speed Coaching Sessions for Veterinary- and Pet Care Professionals! The rules of the game are as follows: ·          Episodes will be in-the-moment, off-the-cuff and unscripted. ·          Coaching sessions will be 15 Minutes MAXIMUM, so wherever we finish, we finish… ·          Which mea...

Episode 104 – Why Behaviour and Pain are Intertwined   I had an incredible time at the WSAVA Congress in Rio and one of the things that I really took away as a musing from the Congress is the question as to whether or how we can differentiate pain from emotional states such as anxiety. We know that pain has an emotional component – often fear or anxiety – so do we therefore need to be more compreh...

Episode 103 – 15-minute Speed Coaching with Victoria Shepherd   Welcome to our brand-new episode format – 15-minute Speed Coaching Sessions for Veterinary- and Pet Care Professionals! The rules of the game are as follows: ·          Episodes will be in-the-moment, off-the-cuff and unscripted. ·          Coaching sessions will be 15 Minutes MAXIMUM, so wherever we finish, we finish… ·          Whic...

Episode 102 – Fluoxetine   Fluoxetine is a commonly prescribed Veterinary Psychopharmaceutical, so I thought we'd do a bit of a deep dive into fluoxetine and the things you, as professionals, need to know about this medication.   Here's what you'll learn: ·          Indications for and uses of fluoxetine in Veterinary Medicine (and some super easy ways to remember them), ·          Commonly seen s...

Episode 101 – Resilience in Dogs with Bobbie Bhambree   I absolutely loved this conversation with the wonderful Bobbie Bhambree, Dog Trainer and Behaviourist, about her game-changing work around Resilience and Resilience Conditioning in dogs. Bobbie shares the story of how she and Veterinary Neuroscientist, Kathy Murphy, developed the Canine Resilience Rainbow, how it evolved and where it is now....

Episode 100 – Welcome to The Veterinary Behaviour Chat   Welcome to the very first episode of The Veterinary Behaviour Chat Podcast, the evolution from The Pet Behaviour Chat! In this first episode of The Veterinary Behaviour Chat, I talk about the journey behind this re-brand and re-launch, and my vision for the future of the podcast.   This is a space for Vets, Vet Nurses and Pet Care Profession...

Episode 99 – Tanya and Bruno's Story   This is one of my favourite patient- and client stories! From the beautiful island of Samos in Greece to Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, Bruno has had a very varied and sometimes challenging life. Tanya reached out to me when Bruno became increasingly sound sensitive after arriving in Abu Dhabi, to the point where he hid under a storage rack in the basement for 23 h...

Episode 98 – The 4 Pillars of reducing Fear, Anxiety and Stress in the Veterinary Clinic   Improving emotional safety and the patient experience in the Veterinary Clinic is such a passion topic of mine and I loved recording this episode on the 4 main areas I focus on when it comes to reducing fear, anxiety and stress in our Veterinary Patients.   Here are the 4 main areas you'll learn about: 1.   ...

Episode 97 – Risk Assessment   Comprehensively assessing the risk of a Behaviour Case can be one of the most important things to do when you are first presented with a patient. Whether you're a GP vet faced with a tricky situation, a Vet or Veterinary Nurse with an interest in Veterinary Behaviour Medicine, or a non-Veterinary Behaviour practitioner, it is always really good practice to perform a...

Episode 96 – The Veterinary Behaviour First Aid Kit   How many times does it happen that a patient presents with a Behavioural Presentation that you don't feel fully equipped to deal with? Or the client just happens to mention at the end of a consultation – as they're walking out of the door – that their cat has been urinating outside of the litter box or that their dog has been recently aggressiv...

Episode 95 – What's New in FIC in Cats   Feline Idiopathic Cystitis is such a fascinating disease from a Veterinary Behaviour Medicine perspective as it poses the perfect intersection between physical and behavioural health. It is a diagnosis of exclusion, is mainly seen in younger cats under 10 years of age (2-7 years is most common), and can be triggered or exacerbated by stressful events.   Oft...

Episode 94 – Client Education and Managing Expectations   Wow, this turned into a bit of a philosophical episode… because these are topics I have been thinking about and contemplating a lot lately. What is it that actually creates a positive outcome in the Veterinary Behaviour Medicine World? Of course, behaviour change in the patient is an important part, but what about a shift in the expectation...

Episode 93 – Side Effects from Psychotropic Medications   Side effects are something we ALL think about when prescribing any medication for our patients, not just psychopharmaceuticals. But for some reason, whether it's because these meds are still so unknown to many in the industry, or because of experiences we have heard from people – friends, family – who have been prescribed these medications,...

Episode 92 – Pica and GI Disease in Dogs and Cats   What a fascinating topic and one I've been thinking a lot about in recent weeks. We have seen a spike in foreign body surgeries at my clinic in Abu Dhabi in recent weeks – as we all know, these things tend to come in 3s – and this, together with the publication of the below paper in JAVMA, has really had myself and my team thinking about best pro...

Episode 91 – Open Concept   I absolutely love pushing the boundaries of what is possible in Veterinary Medicine and indeed the Veterinary Industry. In this thought-provoking episode, Nora and I chat about our newly embraced "Open Concept", which allows for more transparency, owner presence and owner contribution to their pets' health and treatment. I totally understand that this may be a challengi...

Episode 90 – Preparing for an Aggressive Dog Consultation   As Veterinary Behaviourists, safety is an extremely important part of our practice – safety for ourselves, our teams, safety for third parties and safety for the caregivers as well as the patients. Safety is especially important when we regularly see patients that are being presented for aggressive behaviours and that have a bite history....

Episode 89 – Holiday Choices for Cats – Home or Cattery?   We all want what is best for our feline friends and that includes ensuring their happiness, safety and behavioural health while we are on holiday or traveling. But what IS actually best for them? ·          To stay at home in their familiar surroundings and territory? ·          To stay in a cattery where they will have company and be moni...

Episode 88 – Serotonin Syndrome - What you need to know!   Serotonin Syndrome, also known as Serotonin Toxicity, is the most severe side effect of serotonergic medication and can potentially be fatal if not treated and managed. Therefore, understandably, many vets are very cautious when it comes to prescribing serotonergic agents and especially when combining serotonergic agents such as an SSRI an...

Episode 87 – The importance of sleep in our pets – a conversation with Dr Carrie Tooley   Sleep!!!! Honestly, this is a topic I have been thinking about so much lately and this amazing conversation with Dr Carrie Tooley just reinforces how important sleep is to the mental and emotional health of our pets and patients!   What you'll learn in this episode: 1.       How sleep plays a role in emotiona...

Episode 86 – Behaviour Signs and Neurotransmitters   When I first started out in Veterinary Behaviour Medicine, knowing which Behaviour Medication to choose for any given patients was a real struggle. I didn't really know what to base my choices on, often reached for the same medication over and over again without really knowing why and just hoping that I'd made the right decision. Sound familiar?...

Episode 85 – Setting Up a Behaviour Service with RVN Nikki McLeod   Veterinary Nurses are INVALUABLE when it comes to promoting Behavioural Health within Veterinary Practices. In this episode, I chat to RVN, Nikki McLeod about her current exciting journey of setting up a Behaviour Service within the practice she works in, what her challenges have been, what her wins have been and what she has lear...

Episode 84 – Assessing and Managing Inter-Cat Tension & Aggression Cases   This week, I saw a 2-cat, a 4-cat and an 8-cat home, all with diagnoses of inter-cat tension or inter-cat aggression. These cases can be really complex to work up and understanding the fine nuances of cat-cat sociability can be really challenging. In this episode, I share the things I think about and the questions I ask whe...

Episode 83 – We are what we eat. A conversation about Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome in dogs and cats - with Dr Gaelle Joanny   This is SUCH an epic episode. The quality of conversation with Dr Gaelle Joanny always blows my mind and I am so grateful to be able to share this with you. I have spoken about Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome in dogs and cats before – check out episodes 55 & 57 of this pod...

Episode 82 – How young is too young to start Behaviour Meds?   "Oh, I'm sure they'll grow out of it…". A phrase that makes my heart sink when it comes to young dogs with obvious behavioural diagnoses. Now, what do I mean by "young"? We're talking about dogs somewhere between 6 and 12 months of age and yes, it is absolutely possible that these youngsters already have a behavioural diagnosis based o...