Did you know that the primary reason a pet is relinquished to the animal shelter by owners is due to behavioral problems? For dogs this often means problems with aggression or soiling in the house. For cats this usually is due to inappropriate urination.

At Fishers Veterinary Associates we want to ensure that your pet gets along with you and your family. Sometimes this requires help in assessing your pet's behavior.

Common behavioral problems:

Separation Anxiety: Common for dogs. Can range in severity from chewing at the crate while the owners are gone, soiling in the crate or on personal objects as a sign of displeasure, or even chewing door frames and furniture to shreds.

For more information on separation anxiety please go to the links below.

Separation Anxiety

What is Separation Anxiety and What isn't?

Inappropriate eliminations: Includes cats that urinate on your laundry and defecate outside the litter box as well as dogs that urinate on their bedding or on personal objects. Many times these unfortunate events are actually due to a medical problem. Before assuming that Max has developed a behavior problem we recommend an exam with a veterinarian to ensure that there are no medical problems.

For more information on inappropriate eliminations please follow the links below:

CATS: Feline House Soiling

DOGS: Canine Crate Soiling

Canines Urinating On Beds

Aggression: This is a much more difficult problem to be dealt with as we do not want anyone put at risk of injury. This includes dog-to-dog aggression and dog-to-people aggression. Also rarely includes cat-to-people aggression. These cases are dealt with on an individual basis.

If you are dealing with a behavioral problem with your dog or cat, please call our office to schedule a Behavior Consult.