Veterinary Behaviour Chat

Episode 67 – Canine Adolescence – The Terrible Teens   Is your lovely puppy changing before your very eyes? Are they showing behaviours you have never seen before and are, quite frankly, challenging and disturbing? Are they pushing boundaries and taking more risks? Are they growing into larger and stronger dogs that are becoming difficult to handle? Is this putting a strain on your relationship wi...

Episode 66 – Solutions for Puppy Biting, Nipping and Mouthing   Are you the proud parent of a new puppy who is driving you crazy with their constant biting, nipping or mouthing? Are your remote controls, flip flops, expensive shoes or handbags being chewed to bits? Are your ankles and wrists showing the marks of tiny, sharp puppy teeth? Are you and your kids having to jump onto the sofa to rescue...

Episode 65 – Collaboration between Trainers and Veterinary Behaviourists – A Chat with Lottie Hanks   I cannot stress enough how important it is for Veterinary- and other Pet Care Professionals to collaborate for the well-being of our patients. Sadly, there is still a divide and an unwillingness in both camps to come together and share unique areas of expertise for the sake of the pet. In this epi...

Episode 64 – Children and Pets Part 1   Are you an expecting parent waiting to bring a new baby into a home with existing pets? Or perhaps you are a pet care professional looking for the best advice to give to new or expecting parents about introducing a new baby to their pets?   The reason you are worried about this is because you're not sure of the best way to approach this. And the reason you a...

Episode 63 – Preparing your Pet for Air Travel   Air travel can be a stressful experience for both pets and owners, but, with some thoughtful preparation and by following my 5-step approach for Pet Air Travel Preparation, we can manage the stress for the pets, which will also help pet owners feel more comfortable.   During my veterinary practice ownership in the UAE for the last 16 years, I have p...

Episode 62 – Deep Dive into The Veterinary Behaviour Consultation   Join me for a deep dive into some of the unique aspects of The Veterinary Behaviour Consultation and learn more about some of the really useful skillsets required to dig deep and really help bring about behaviour change.   Here are some of the things you'll take away from this episode: 1.       How to remove some of the barriers t...

Episode 61 – Canine Cognitive Skills - with Kay Attwood   I absolutely loved recording this episode with Kay! Cognition and Cognitive Skills are so important when it comes to behavioural health, and I often use cognitive exercises as part of my treatment plans in order to teach coping skills as well as help dogs process better by accessing brain areas associated with cognition rather than brain ar...

Episode 60 – Romanian Rescue Dogs – Amelia and El's Story   Amelia and her wonderful caregiver El are amongst my very favourite client and patient and I chat to El on the 3 year anniversary of us starting to work together!   Amelia is a rescue dog from Romania who was transported across land to the UK to be with her new doggie mom and caregiver El in 2021. Listen to El's incredible story of when A...

Episode 59 – Detomidine OTM Gel – The perfect PVP Protocol for Zack!   I really wanted to share Zack's story as I get asked so many questions about how best to handle very fearful and potentially aggressive canine patients in the veterinary setting. The answer is - there is no simple or blanket answer – and every patient must be treated and considered as an individual. It helps, of course, if you...

Episode 58 – A conversation with Dr Hannah Capon – Pain, Behaviour, Dealing with Chronic Disease and so much more…   This has got to be one of my most favourite conversations on The Pet Behaviour Chat so far. Dr Hannah Capon is the founder of UK based Canine Arthritis Management – www.caninearthitis.co.uk – and an absolute powerhouse when it comes to advocating for pets, especially dogs, with oste...

Episode 57 – Feline Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome   Following on from episode 55, where I spoke about Canine Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome, this episode is dedicated to our senior feline patients and how Feline Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome is absolutely something to consider when living with or caring for an older cat.   In this episode you will learn: 1.       The different clinical scale use...

Episode 56 – The Importance of Enrichment and Behavioural Diversity   Enrichment and Behavioural Diversity are 2 buzzwords that are used quite frequently when it comes to providing our pets with opportunities to express their behavioural needs. In this episode, Ilse and I chat about what Enrichment and Behavioural Diversity actually are and whether the term "enrichment" is appropriate for what we...

Episode 55 – Canine Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome – Does Doggie Dementia Exist?   I love talking about senior pets and this is definitely a topic close to my heart! As our pets age, their behaviours may change, and we need to understand what the causes of those behaviour changes may be. Canine Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome is a neurodegenerative disease, which sadly cannot be cured, but can be t...

Episode 54 – Street Cats – Should we "Rescue" or "Home" them?   This is a big topic with many opinions to consider from different stakeholders. Nora and I chat about our experiences of this topic here in the UAE and about some of the cases we have seen where cats that previously lived on the street were brought into homes and developed Behaviour Problems as a result. We also chat about the unique...

Episode 53 – Separation Anxiety – To crate or not to crate, that is the question   Welcome to the first episode in this second year of The Pet Behaviour Chat Podcast!   This episode was inspired by a Facebook post I saw in one of our local dog groups where an alarming number of people advised the poster, who has a dog showing Separation Related Behaviours to "just get a crate for the dog and put i...

Episode 52 – What we have learned from a year of Veterinary Behaviour Podcast!   I cannot believe that it has been a year since I started The Pet Behaviour Chat Podcast! This has been such a passion project of mine, and I have loved every minute of recording both the solo episodes as well as the amazing episodes with my wonderful guests.   The response to the podcast has been incredible, and I hav...

Episode 51 – Long Term versus Event Medications!   This is one of the topics I get the most questions about - from vets, pet care professionals and pet caregivers alike. What is the difference between long-term, also known as daily or baseline medications, and event or short acting medications? When do I use the one versus the other, can I give them together and, if so, how does that work and what...

Episode 50 – When To Consider Psychopharmaceutical Medication   This is a big topic and certainly the area where, as a Veterinary Behaviour Specialist, my expertise lies! Choosing the right patient, the right medication and having the right support structure in place is of the utmost importance if we want to make positive changes in the patient's and pet caregiver's life so knowing the medications...

Episode 49 – Abnormal Repetitive Behaviours in Dogs – What You Need To Know!   Abnormal Repetitive Behaviours in dogs are challenging to diagnose and treat. Their genetic and heritable nature, the large number of physical medical differential diagnoses and their ritualistic and invariant nature can make them difficult to live with and their treatment really requires the help and support of an expe...

Episode 48 – Cat Resources – What You Need To Know!   This is such a fun episode and a must listen if you are either a cat caregiver or a veterinary professional working with cats in the clinic. Dr Katrin and Nora chat about all the things that are considered important resources in a cat's life, how many of them a cat ideally needs in the home or clinic and how you can design your home to best acc...

Episode 47 – Overgrooming and Pica in Cats – What You Need To Know!   Does your cat overgroom to the point where they have thinning hair in one or more areas of their bodies? Does your cat chew and swallow non-food items? Do you have a pet or patient that has had numerous foreign body surgeries to remove ingested items? Would you like to know what you can do to help and treat these cats? Then this...

Episode 46 – Muzzles and Muzzle Training   Muzzles are an essential part of any dog's toolkit, whether they have ever shown aggressive behaviours or not. Whether for safety or in emergencies, muzzles can be extremely valuable and sometimes life-saving pieces of equipment for your dog. In this episode, Dr Katrin and Ilse chat through real life scenarios, discuss the right kind of muzzle and perfect...

Episode 45 – Feline House Soiling – What You Need To Know!   This is a topic we are SO passionate about. In a study by Salman et. al. (see below), 28% of cats who were relinquished to shelters were relinquished for behavioural reasons, and of those 28%, 43% were relinquished for house soiling. While this is a distressing situation for cats and caregivers alike, we actually have a really good chanc...

Episode 44 – Canine House Soiling – What You Need To Know!   Getting to the bottom of Canine House Soiling problems can take a little detective work and a really solid understanding of normal canine elimination - both physiologically and developmentally -, learning theory, and medical disease processes that can contribute to house soiling. In this episode, Dr Katrin explains her approach to solvin...

Episode 43 – A Veterinary Nurse's Role in Behaviour Medicine – with Nikki McLeod   Are you a veterinary nurse with a love for Behaviour Medicine? Are you a veterinary nurse who would like to know a bit more about the opportunities that Behaviour Medicine can bring with it? Or are you a pet caregiver who would like to know more about how you can make your pet's experience at the veterinary clinic e...