Behaviour Consultation Service

          Best Friends Animal Hospital offers a behaviour consultation service run by Dr. Sheri Gould. Dr. Gould deals with problem behaviours in dogs and cats. The service consists of filling out a comprehensive behaviour questionnaire in advance and dropping it off at the hospital. A one hour consultation is then scheduled usually 1 week later. The consultation fee must be paid at the time of booking the appointment. However, there is no charge to change the date or time of the appointment should this become necessary.           

   Dr. Gould will review the questionnaire and prepare for the consultation which consists of diagnosing the behaviour problem and then forming a treatment plan. All person involved should attend as well as the pet or pets involved.           

   After the consultation, the owner is instructed to phone in every two weeks with a progress report. The follow up phone calls are included in the cost of the consult and continue until the owner is satisfied with the pet’s progress.           

   No behaviour problem is outside the scope of the service whether it is an occasional house soiling problem or a serious aggression problem or anything in between. Sometimes, what seems like a behaviour issue could actually be a medical problem. For this reason, is it VERY important that your pet is seen by your veterinarian first and ALL necessary diagnostic tests are done to rule out any possible medical causes for the behaviour problem. Behaviour therapy will not work if the problem is a medical one. An undiagnosed medical condition could lead to months of frustration while we attempt (and fail) to treat a medical problem with behaviour therapy.           

   An antianxiety medication may be recommended for your pet to help with behaviour therapy. If medication is required, a blood test and possibly an ECG will be recommended to reduce the risks of any side effects of the medication. These tests may have already been performed by your regular veterinarian. If not they will be done at the time of the consultation for an additional fee.           

   Dr. Gould graduated from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatoon in 1996. She attended many conferences in behaviour medicine and is a graduate of the North American Post Graduate course in Veterinary Behavior. She has a special interest in behaviour and enjoys helping people and their pets with their behaviour problems.