Utilizing Telehealth for Veterinary Behavior

Utilizing Telehealth for Veterinary Behavior

Behavior is one of the most common reasons for a pet parent to seek veterinary care. Whether clients want their pet to have better manners or if they are looking to curb unwanted behavior in their dog or cat, Anipanion’s telehealth app is a great platform to provide behavioral services.


When working with a client and their pet with behavioral issues, it is of great importance to observe the pet and pet parent in a neutral environment and to be able to communicate with the client without disturbance. This process can be facilitated with real-time telehealth or asynchronous chat communication with videos and pictures. Communication with the client can be with a veterinarian, vet technician, or even a trainer or behaviorist that has partnered with your hospital.


The behavioral services offered can be tailored to the comfort level, skill, and interest of your clinic team. Perhaps all new puppies and kittens receive a complimentary “Puppy or Kitten 101 Telehealth Class” that is built into the cost of their first exam, or your hospital may offer more advanced telehealth behavioral issue training sessions.


Here are some behavioral topics to discuss with your clients in a telehealth consultation:


  • Behavior training sessions by age
    • Puppies
      • Focus on socialization
        • Expose puppy to other (fully vaccinated) dogs, people, new places, sights, sounds
        • Emphasize positive reinforcement
      • House training techniques
        • Patience
        • Consistency
        • Positive reinforcement
      • Obedience
        • Sit/stay/lay commands
      • Leash training
      • Kennel/Crate training
      • Hygiene Acclimation
        • Nail trimming
        • Grooming
        • Bathing
        • Teeth Brushing
    • Adult Dogs
      • Obedience
        • Sit/stay/lay commands
      • Leash training
      • Kennel/Crate training
      • Hygiene Acclimation
        • Nail trimming
        • Grooming
        • Bathing
        • Teeth Brushing
    • Kittens or Adult Cats
      • Discuss litter box maintenance
        • Number of boxes
        • Location of boxes
        • Type of box
          • Covered vs uncovered
          • Shallow or deep
          • Auto-cleaning
        • Litter substrate
        • Scented or unscented
        • Cleaning schedule
          • Scooped daily
          • Dumped and cleaned weekly
      • Environmental enrichment
        • Scratching posts/towers/perches
        • Safe spaces to hide/escape
        • Interactive toys/games
        • Interactive mouse feeders
      • Hygiene Acclimation
        • Nail trimming
        • Teeth brushing
        • Grooming if needed
  • Unwanted behavior sessions
    • Canine
      • Anxiety
        • This is a big topic that may involve a multi-modal approach with training tips, prescription medications, behaviorist or trainer
        • Separation anxiety vs generalized anxiety
        • Severity of anxiety
      • Aggression
        • This is a big topic that may involve a multi-modal approach with training tips, prescription medications, behaviorist or trainer
        • Type of Aggression
          • Fear based
          • Anxiety based
          • Territorial
          • Possessive
          • Pain or illness related
          • Predatory
          • Redirected frustration
      • Jumping
      • Excessive Vocalization
      • Hyperexcitation
      • Submissive urination
      • Storm/Loud noise phobia
      • Destructive Behavior
      • Excessive chewing
    • Feline
      • Inappropriate Elimination
      • Destructive Scratching
      • Aggression


Often, the behavior issue that the pet owner is concerned about will not be apparent while in the hospital. Behavioral consultations by telehealth can actually be more effective than those in person, as you can view the pet in the natural environment and potentially see behaviors live and trigger that cause it.


Additionally, your team will be safer (especially in the case of fearful or aggressive behavior) and there is less stress to both the pet and pet owner. Try offering behavioral consultations as part of a package, or in partnership with a local trainer!

Connect with a telehealth expert

Dr. Jess Trimble

Dr. Trimble is the Chief Veterinary Officer at Anipanion. She looks forward to working closely with you and your team to craft the appropriate telehealth plan to ensure you deliver a seamless virtual care experience.

FAQ

Anipanion is a secure, telehealth platform that helps veterinary teams optimize workflows through powerful communication tools like chat, video, auto-replies, short cuts, and much more.

Anipanion provides you with flyers, email templates, voicemail and auto email reply scripts as well as a custom landing page to help promote the service to your clients.

Anipanion has a world-class support and training team that can always be reached out to via chat, phone or email. Our average response time is 10 minutes or less.

Schedule a demo with one of our telehealth experts so we can learn more about your practice operations and help you provide the best health outcomes for your clients and patients.