Episode 41 – Fear Free Tips for Dogs

As a Fear Free Certified Veterinary Practice, we look at new and innovative ways of delivering patient- and client care literally all the time.

In this episode, Dr Katrin and Ilse share their 5 Top Tips for improving your canine patient or pet’s veterinary experience as well as the one thing they couldn’t live without when it comes to Fear Free Veterinary Care!

We specifically wanted to share “Quick Win”, easy to implement and very affordable ways of improving your own Fear Free approach, things the whole team can get behind.

This episode is a must listen if you are a veterinarian, veterinary nurse, veterinary receptionist, pet care professional or pet caregiver that wants to improve every patient- and pet experience in the veterinary clinic!

We really hope you enjoy this episode; it is packed with so much information!

If you liked this episode of the show, The Pet Behaviour Chat, please LEAVE A 5-STAR REVIEW, like, share, and subscribe!

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Episode 40– Noise Fear and Phobias – What you need to know!

Did you know that up to 50% of our pet dogs suffer from noise sensitivity, fear of noises or even noise phobias?

That is a HUGE amount and most of them go undiagnosed and untreated. And that means that many of our pets suffer, either on a daily basis or during specific noise events such as fireworks and thunderstorms.

Cats are likely also affected by noises, but because they tend to hide in these circumstances, pet caregivers might not notice this, and they are even less likely to get the help they might need.

In this episode, Dr Katrin chats about:

· The different diagnoses when it comes to noises - is it a phobia, fear or sensitivity?

· The signs your dog might show if they are fearful of noises

· Why household electrical appliances are important

· How dogs hear differently from humans and what that means for them

· How we can manage the environment to help

· Counter-conditioning to noises

· Supplements, pheromones and medications

Here are some of the papers Dr Katrin mentioned in this episode:

1. An open-label prospective study of the use of l-theanine (Anxitane) in storm-sensitive client-owned dogs, Amy L. Pike, Debra F. Horwitz, Heidi Lobprise, JVB, 2015, Vol 10:4, pp324-331, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jveb.2015.04.001

2. Dexmedetomidine oromucosal gel for noise associated acute anxiety and fear in dogs—a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study, Vet Record, 2017, M. Korpivaara, K. Laapas, M. Huhtinen, B. Schöning, K. Overall

We really hope you enjoy this episode; it is packed with so much information!

If you liked this episode of the show, The Pet Behaviour Chat, please LEAVE A 5-STAR REVIEW, like, share, and subscribe!

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Episode 39 - Brain Health and Behaviour

This episode is all about how brain health affects behaviour.

Our brain does not exist in isolation from the rest of our body and so changes in the rest of our body can affect brain health, and therefore behaviour.

Physical health, but also genetics, epigenetics, early life development and learning can all affect the brain, the brain’s health and, ultimately, behaviour.

In this episode, you will learn:

· How genetics and epigenetics affect behaviour

· How small details such as where a puppy is located in their mom’s womb can affect behaviour

· Why Neurotransmitters are EVERYTHING 😊

· What happens if communication in the brain is disrupted

· How neurological, gastro-intestinal and dermatological disease as well as pain can affect behaviour

Some of the research papers Dr Katrin talks about in this episode:

1. Amadei, E., Cantile, C., Gazzano, A., Pierantoni, L., & Mariti, C. (2021). The link between neurology and behavior in veterinary medicine: A review. Journal of Veterinary Behavior, 46, 40–53. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jveb.2021.07.003

2. Watson, F., Rusbridge, C., Packer, R. M. A., Casey, R. A., Heath, S., & Volk, H. A. (2018). A review of treatment options for behavioural manifestations of clinical anxiety as a comorbidity in dogs with idiopathic epilepsy. Veterinary Journal, 238, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tvjl.2018.06.001

3. McAuliffe, L. R., Koch, C. S., Serpell, J., & Campbell, K. L. (2022). Associations Between Atopic Dermatitis and Anxiety, Aggression, and Fear-Based Behaviors in Dogs. Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association, 58(4), 161–167. https://doi.org/10.5326/JAAHA-MS-7210

We really hope you enjoy this episode; it is packed with so much information!

If you liked this episode of the show, The Pet Behaviour Chat, please LEAVE A 5-STAR REVIEW, like, share, and subscribe!

Facebook Group: Join The Pet Behaviour Community on Facebook

You can CONNECT with me:

Website: Visit my website

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Episode 38 – Behaviour Problems in Rabbits

In this week’s episode, we are talking to the amazing Dr Isabelle Resch all about rabbit behaviour.

Dr Isabelle is not only a fellow resident of Dr Katrin’s, but also a member of the Australia and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists in both Behaviour Medicine and Internal Medicine and has vast experience in treating small mammals such as rabbits.

Dr Katrin chats to Dr Isabelle about the complexities of rabbit behaviour, the most common rabbit behaviour problems and what both veterinarians as well as rabbit caregivers can do to optimize rabbit environment, both in the veterinary clinic and at home.

What you will learn in this episode:

1. Rabbits are social creatures and should never be housed alone.

2. The 3 most common behaviour problems in rabbits.

3. How to optimize rabbit environment in the veterinary clinic and at home.

4. How to handle rabbits gently to maximize their welfare.

We really hope you enjoyed this episode!

If you liked this episode of the show, The Pet Behaviour Chat, please LEAVE A 5-STAR REVIEW, like, share, and subscribe!

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Episode 37 – How we became a Fear Free Certified Veterinary Practice

Ahhhh, this is such an exciting episode!

Dr Katrin chats to Nora and Ilse about becoming a Fear Free Certified Veterinary Practice, about what motivated this step, what they all learned in the process and how this accolade has massively impacted the team, the clients and, of course, the patients.

They chat about the challenging creation of the SOPs, the practical implementation of a Fear Free approach, the day of the assessment and what the big wins have been on the back of this.

But, even more importantly, the conversation includes so much about the ethos of working in a Fear Free way and the impact this has on the experience, welfare and clinical outcomes of the patients.

This is SUCH a great episode, and whether you are a vet, vet nurse, pet parent or pet care professional, we hope you will be inspired!

If you liked this episode of the show, The Pet Behaviour Chat, please LEAVE A 5-STAR REVIEW, like, share, and subscribe!

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Episode 36 – Shelter Puppies – Carol & Marley’s Story

How do you know what to expect when you adopt a puppy from a shelter?

Puppies born in or taken to shelters at an early age probably face quite a few different challenges to other puppies.

Don’t get me wrong, puppies bred in large scale breeding facilities and sold via pet shops also face challenges, as do puppies that have altered genetics or are challenged epigenetically, however, shelters bring their own set of circumstances with them and, if you are considering getting a puppy from a shelter, I would advise that you do some research and go into the puppy adventure with eyes wide open!

In this episode, Dr Katrin chats to Carol, who, together with her husband Paul, adopted the lovely Marley from a shelter in Abu Dhabi as a puppy.

Have a listen as they chat about Marley’s unique behavioural challenges, how these affected Carol and Paul and how Dr Katrin and Ilse helped them understand Marley better and put a treatment plan in place to help Marley become a happier, healthier individual, one that the whole family can now enjoy!

We really hope you enjoy this episode; it is packed with so much information!

If you liked this episode of the show, The Pet Behaviour Chat, please LEAVE A 5-STAR REVIEW, like, share, and subscribe!

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You can CONNECT with me:

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Episode 35 – Cat-Cat Introductions…What You Need To Know!

We see A LOT of Feline Behaviour Cases here in the UAE and, unlike other areas in the world, we see an over-representation of Inter-Cat Aggression cases, which means 2 or more cats living in the same household showing signs of hostility towards each other or even actively fighting with each other.

This is a really stressful situation for everyone involved, including the cats involved in the hostility or fights, cats and other pets who are not involved in the fights and, of course, the caregivers.

But why do we see this so commonly in cats, why much more so than in other species?

Well, this is all down to cats’ unique sociability spectrums and Dr Katrin delves deep into this at the beginning of the episode.

What you will learn from this episode:

1. Whether you should add a second (or third or fourth) cat to the home.

2. Which cats are more likely to form good relationships with each other.

3. How resources influence the social dynamic.

4. How to practically begin an introduction process.

5. When to ask for help!

This is a complex and often frustrating scenario and impacts everyone’s wellbeing and welfare so we really hope you enjoy this episode!

If you liked this episode of the show, The Pet Behaviour Chat, please LEAVE A 5-STAR REVIEW, like, share, and subscribe!

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You can CONNECT with me:

Website: Visit my website

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Episode 34 – Veterinary Behaviour Medicine in Singapore – A chat with Dr Daphne Ang

This is SUCH a great episode packed with information for vets, vet nurses, pet care professionals and pet caregivers alike.

Dr Katrin gets to chat to her fellow resident and good friend, Dr Daphne Ang, about her individual residency journey (because all journeys are different and individual) and how Dr Daphne is bringing Behavioural Medicine to the wonderful country of Singapore.

Dr Katrin chat about her challenges in setting up this brand-new service in the Middle East and the parallels between this in the expat hubs of the UAE and Singapore.

Both Drs reflect on how Behavioural Medicine has made them better practitioners and how they view their patients quite differently, even after 25 year in General Practice.

They talk about the families behind the pet and providing a safe space for them to share their frustrations and challenges of living with pets with Behaviour Problems.

This is such as cool and global episode and you won’t want to miss this, especially if you are a vet considering a residency in Veterinary Behaviour Medicine yourself!

We really hope you enjoy this episode; it is packed with so much reflection, soul searching and great information!

If you liked this episode of the show, The Pet Behaviour Chat, please LEAVE A 5-STAR REVIEW, like, share, and subscribe!

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You can CONNECT with me:

Website: Visit my website

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Thank you for tuning in!