The importance of promoting the animal behavior field
On behalf of the members of the 2015 AAHA Canine and Feline Behavior Management Guidelines Task Force, I would like to thank Dr. Voith1 for her recent letter highlighting the publication and importance of the guidelines2 and emphasizing the value of the type of cooperative, team-based approach endorsed in the guidelines. This approach is explicitly detailed in the online Behavior Management Toolkit,3 which lists various groups that can be part of the team. One of the groups listed was the Animal Behavior Society, which is the umbrella organization for Certified Applied Animal Behaviorists.
Our goals, however, were more complex than simply encouraging veterinarians to seek external help for their patients with behavior problems. As stated in the guidelines, “the 2015 AAHA Canine and Feline Behavior Management Guidelines were developed to provide practitioners and staff with concise, evidence-based information to ensure that the basic behavioral needs of feline and canine patients are understood and met in every practice.” The guidelines conclude by stating “by developing expertise in pet behavioral management across the entire healthcare team, veterinary practices provide an added dimension of value that increases the quality of life for its patients and clients and reinforces the pet-veterinarian-client relationship for the lifetime of the patient.”
In short, these guidelines sought to reinforce to veterinarians that understanding behavior drives relationships in companion animal practices, behavioral medicine is the keystone for modern veterinary care, a behavioral evaluation is an essential part of every clinical evaluation, and engaging in such evaluations as part of routine veterinary care allows for early intervention, saves lives, and increases everyone's quality of life.
The task force members further sought to provide veterinarians with the basics of routine interventional behavioral pharmacology, as it can readily be applied in daily practice. Behavioral pharmacology can be life changing, and only veterinarians can diagnose and prescribe medications.
Our intent was to encourage every veterinary practice to develop expertise in this essential and rewarding field and to incorporate it into every single appointment. The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior, a group of 350 veterinarians with a special interest in behavioral medicine, provides a welcoming environment and helpful email list where member practitioners can enhance their skills in behavioral medicine. When needed, we also encourage veterinary practice teams to reach out for ancillary expertise, including that offered by the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists, which now has 69 board-certified specialists and many residents in training. These resources, and others, are also listed in the Behavior Management Toolkit.
Expertise in veterinary behavioral medicine has never been more in demand, and with the 2015 guidelines we hope to encourage its continued growth with the goal of having behavioral medicine become a core competency in every single practice.
Karen L. Overall, ma, vmd, phd
Chair, 2015 AAHA Canine and Feline Behavior Management Guidelines Task Force
Department of Biology
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pa
1. Voith VL. CAABs lend helping hand (lett). J Am Vet Med Assoc 2015; 247: 1093.
2. Hammerle M, Horst C, Levine E, et al. 2015 AAHA canine and feline behavior management guidelines. J Am Anim Hosp Assoc 2015; 51;205–221.
3. American Animal Hospital Association website. Behavior management toolkit: implementation toolkit. Available at: www.aaha.org/professional/resources/behavior_management_toolkit.aspx#gsc.tab=0. Accessed Dec 18, 2015.
