The vets at the Beaumont Sainsbury Animal Hospital are able to advise on behaviour issues in cats and dogs.

Commonly reported behaviour problems include:

• House soiling and urine marking (cats and dogs)
• Aggression or reactivity towards other animals (inside and outside of the home)
• Aggression towards familiar people within the home
• Aggression or reactivity towards strangers inside and outside of the home
• Barking
• Compulsive behaviours such as tail-chasing, self-mutilation, overgrooming, pacing
• Separation related problems
• Noise phobias and other anxiety problems
• Difficulties with sleeping patterns

At the Beaumont Sainsbury Animal Hospital pets with behavioural concerns should initially be assessed in a routine consultation (£55) with one of our usual vets. During this appointment a thorough medical examination will be performed to check for any medical issues that might be causing or aggravating the behavioural issue (common offenders include musculoskeletal pain, hormonal imbalances, anal sac inflammation, skin conditions, thyroid disorders). Depending on the type of problem being investigated, and any suspicious findings on the examination, blood tests, urine tests, X-rays or ultrasound scans may be offered.

After this initial assessment, our vets will give advice on immediate home management of the problem behaviour – this should include how to keep everyone safe and prevent the problem from worsening.

Our vets will then make a referral to a behaviourist, who can provide an extended behavioural consultation in which the problem behaviour can be observed and considered in more detail. These appointments typically last 1.5-2 hours and are conducted by a behaviourist outside of the hospital (usually as a video consultation or home visit). A behaviour modification plan will be created to follow at home, and follow-up sessions booked to monitor progress. The behaviourist will share their report with your usual veterinary surgeon at the Beaumont Sainsbury Animal Hospital.

Not all animal behaviourists are the same! Some are veterinary surgeons and some are non-veterinary behaviourists. Different behaviourists have different qualifications, experience and interests. Your veterinary surgeon will refer you to the most appropriate behaviourist for the problem that you and your pet are experiencing.

At the Beaumont Sainsbury Animal Hospital, the non-veterinary behaviourists that we refer to will be full members of one of the following organisations:

https://fabclinicians.org/

https://www.apbc.org.uk/

And the veterinary behaviourist that we refer to (usually for more complex problems) is:

Jon Bowen BVetMed DipAs(CABC) MRCVS – Behaviour Consultant at the Royal Veterinary College – appointments are 90 minutes online with 6 months of remote follow-up (£500)

Please be aware that accredited behaviourists are not permitted to see your pet without a medical check and referral from your usual veterinary surgeon.

The behaviourist will provide you with a report detailing the techniques and plan that they have demonstrated and recommended that you use with your pet. This will be shared with your usual veterinary surgeon at the Beaumont Sainsbury Animal Hospital and attached to your pet’s clinical notes so that everyone involved with your pet’s care will be aware of the behaviour modification programme you are following and can make sure that they assist with this whenever your pet visits the clinic.

Many insurance policies cover behavioural consultations, investigation and treatment (including both behavioural and medical aspects) as long as your pet is referred to an accredited veterinary behaviourist.

Please contact the surgery if you would like to book an appointment with one of our vets to start this process.