Behavior
At Packerland Veterinary Center, we want to help you with all aspects of
the care of your beloved pets. Some of our pets' normal or abnormal behaviors
interfere with the bond we share with them and can affect the happiness
of us and our pets' lives. The goal of behavioral medicine is to modify
the behaviors of animals in order to benefit the owner and the animal's
quality of life. Dr. Lewis has extensive experience and a strong interest
in behavior medicine.
The first thing that the doctor will do to help your animal is to determine
whether there is an underlying medical reason for the behavior. The doctor
will do a physical exam along with any laboratory tests that would help
diagnose such a condition. There are many diseases that can change an
animal's behavior such as endocrine disorders, infections, or painful
conditions.
The next step that needs to be taken is to determine whether the behavior
is a normal, but undesirable behavior or an abnormal behavior. A cat spraying
urine can be normal but is certainly undesirable! Abnormal behavior for
a particular species can be difficult to correct and may need medication
along with behavioral modification to fix the problem.
Once the causing diagnosis is determined, the doctor will come up with
a treatment plan that includes modifying the behavior and may or may not
require medications. No behavior problem is an easy fix, but many undesirable
behaviors can be changed with time.
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