Behaviour Problems in Dogs and CatsIn this section of the website you will find information about some of the common pet behaviour problems which we regularly encounter in my holistic veterinary practice in Mayfield, East Sussex (tel; 01435 87 47 87). Behavioural problems are often very difficult for people to deal with on their own and can sometimes completely destroy the bond between pets and people. Indeed, behavioural issues are one of the most common reasons for the rehoming of animals or even the euthanasia of a pet. Rescue centres are often full of dogs and cats with problematic behaviour.
At my holistic veterinary practice in Mayfield, East Sussex we take behavioural issues very seriously indeed. We understand that if your dog or cat behaves in a manner which is unacceptable to you it can be very stressful for both you and your pet. Such behaviour can stretch the bond between you and your pet to breaking point at times and the joy of pet ownership may be diminished, or even overwhelmed, by the unacceptable behaviour your pet engages in.
Behavioural concerns should be addressed as quickly as possible, since the longer a behaviour goes on the harder it is to eradicate. At Mayfield Vet we try to prevent behaviour problems occuring by giving good advice and guidance to all owners of new puppies and kittens. If young animals are socialised and trained early on they are less likely to show behavioural problems later in life.
If a pet is presented to us when it already has a behavioural problem then we take the time to find out about what may have caused the problem in the first place and why the behaviour is continuing now. Often we find that there may be some underlying reward which the animal receives as a result of the unwanted behaviour even though the owners may be unaware of this, since what the pet may perceive as a reward might be a punishment in our eyes.
Once we fully understand the unwanted behaviour we can begin to help with the process of gently bringing the pet back towards acceptable behaviour once more. This can be a slow process, with lots of commitment from the owner being required. Often this is the part of the process which goes wrong, simply because people do not have the time to give their pet the behavioural therapy which they need. We always do our best to help in this situation, and one of the main advantages which we have in our veterinary practice is our ability to offer the most up to date behavioural medications to make the process easier for both the pet and their owner. Often such medications are anti depressants or pheromone products; they help a great deal in many cases. At Mayfield Vet we also use herbs and homeopathy for our patients; these too can be of benefit to pets with behavioural issues.
As a vet I work very closely with our behaviourist and together we work with the human-animal partnership to get the most favourable outcomes for you and your pet. Dealing successfully with problem behaviour in animals is immensely rewarding, so if you would like help with your pet's behavioural issues you may like to contact us on 01435 874787 to discuss how we may be able to help. © Samantha Coe. All rights reserved. Further information, news and pet-related healthcare articles are available at vetbase.co.uk
Questions Answered
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dirty eating habit (dog) (29-Jul-07 12:30AM)
Carrie asks:
What would be the reason my nine month old yellow lab would eat her own poop? On occasion I catch her doing her business, turning around and eating it. We also ... view
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Large red blisters appear with dry skin (dog) (28-Jan-07 03:09PM)
Elizabeth asks:
My dog's skin seems to be infected with round red blisters that dry and the skin flakes off. His skin also feels very bumpy below these blisters. Is this a ... view
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eating his own poo (dog) (25-Jan-07 06:01PM)
Keith asks:
benjie has water down and is well fed but not overfed so why should he eat his own poo ... view
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Cat pooing on my bed (cat) (21-Jan-07 10:58PM)
Tina asks:
Dear vet, my cat keeps pooing on my bed She does this every time I go out to work I have tried everything and now I think I might have ... view
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Behavioural problems (dog) (26-Jan-07 10:03PM)
Anjela asks:
I am finding it really hard to train Mini she will sit but thats about it, just when I think were getting somewhere she will keep us up all night barking. ... view
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fear period (dog) (28-Jan-07 06:21PM)
Nicola asks:
My 9 month old staffy had a frightening experience on her lead about a month ago. Since then she gets very stressed whenever I get the lead out. She's completely changed ... view
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Has my cat had a fit? What caused it? (na) (04-Feb-07 12:31PM)
Lesley asks:
My cat had a funny turn this morning - after behaving completely normally. He suddenly appeared to stagger around the room trying to get to the furthest edges and bumping ... view
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feeding (dog) (22-Oct-07 01:37PM)
Terry asks:
Is it safe to feed my GSD raw chicken wings, he is 16 months old and is 37 kg? ... view
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Sexual behaviour in a dog (dog) (29-Jan-07 09:03PM)
Lisa asks:
My 8 year old dog is trying to mount my leg on a daily basis! We are thinking of getting another dog to keep him company since our other dog died ... view
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hot spots (dog) (26-Mar-07 05:41PM)
Tobi asks:
Breed: Australian shepherd-Heeler
Age: 8 years old
Issue: He's had hot spots on his abdomen/groin area for a few years now. They are now blackened. ... view
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Behaviour in question (cat) (13-Mar-07 06:47AM)
Pikkie asks:
My 3 year old female, spayed. Neighbour with new 6 mth old female, not spayed kitten, says my cat is trying to mate with the kitten. I did not ... view
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One of my cats pooped on the carpet (cat) (28-Mar-07 03:26PM)
kittiei asks:
My cats are both almost 3 and yesterday one of them pooped on the carpet in front of my door. I live in an apartment and have been there for almost ... view
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Strange behaviour (dog) (01-Feb-07 09:22PM)
 Jemima asks:
Hi, my dog has been acting rather strange and not coming into the living room. He usually has fits every 3 months and ever since we put the wall up in ... view
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Itching (dog) (27-Sep-07 02:00AM)
 Marie asks:
Jasper has itching on his lower back above the base of his tail. He has a large scab about 4 inches in diameter but he doesn't have fleas. What causes this ... view
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not eating (dog) (06-Mar-07 10:20AM)
Mark asks:
Sasha is 12 years old, she has gone very quiet, not getting up to greet me when I come home, has gone off food, drooling a little. Checked mouth; cannot see ... view
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lack of sleep (dog) (07-Nov-07 04:13PM)
Bill asks:
We have a 14 month old Yorkshire terrier, which goes to bed at around 6.30pm, because I have MS and go to bed myself at this time. My wife then puts ... view
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Aggression towards us and agitation (cat) (01-Mar-07 11:22PM)
Sally asks:
Our cat Max has recently started to get very agitated and threatening if we do things like sweep the terrace. He is very vocal generally but lately seems disoriented and agitated. ... view
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Dog's Health (dog) (01-Nov-07 04:17PM)
William asks:
My dog is around 11 years old, possibly older (we received her as she was taken from a bad owner seven years ago) and is a Yorkshire Terrier. She has began ... view
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wees when excited (dog) (17-Oct-07 04:57PM)
Sheila asks:
Lulu is only 6-months old and wees quite a lot when she's excited, which being a happy puppy means most of the time. What can I do to stop this? ... view
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dog pup keeps eating own poo (na) (09-Feb-07 03:58PM)
Paul asks:
5 month old akita, have tried medication, still doing it. ... view
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Your Questions Answered
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Injured Wild Owl 30-Nov-07
Kelly asks:
I found an owl this morning, very small but adult. It flew into a power line. It's still alive. ... view
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swollen hind leg 20-Nov-07
 Zshai asks:
I have a 6-day-old bunny who has a swollen hind leg. I saw her mama step on her but ... view
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Sick syrian hamster 08-Nov-07
Sara asks:
Hi. My syrian hamster is 2 and half yrs. old. The last 24 hrs I have noticed a big ... view
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lack of sleep 07-Nov-07
Bill asks:
We have a 14 month old Yorkshire terrier, which goes to bed at around 6.30pm, because I have MS ... view
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wet tail 06-Nov-07
Evelyn asks:
Can a young hamster be successfully treated for wet tail and what would it roughly cost? ... view
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Alfie 06-Nov-07
Elaine asks:
Hi Sam
Thank you. Alfie has no feeding time he just has food in his bowl when he wants it ... view
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Guarding problem 05-Nov-07
 Elaine asks:
Alfie is a terrible guarder and will take your hand off if you try and retrieve an object he ... view
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White Gums and Dark Stool 02-Nov-07
Leslie asks:
My 8 week old American Bulldog has really white gums, around the eyes is also white. She has dark ... view
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Dog's Health 01-Nov-07
William asks:
My dog is around 11 years old, possibly older (we received her as she was taken from a bad ... view
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behaviour 31-Oct-07
Debby asks:
Hi Max is very lively of course but he seems to get very excited and bites the children, not ... view
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Blood in dog's stools 31-Oct-07
Lee asks:
Hi. We recently got a 3 year old Labrador from a friend. From what we can see she has ... view
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upset stomach 30-Oct-07
kat asks:
About three days ago my dog started acting like she was sick; diarrhoea and vomiting along with excessive sneezing ... view
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Blood in Poo 28-Oct-07
Mandy asks:
Treacle is now 9 wks old and had her first vaccination two days ago. I have noticed that at ... view
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neutering 27-Oct-07
 ashen1956 asks:
3 days ago Molly-Mae gave birth to 5 kittens. How long should I wait before having her neutered and ... view
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Ordering Insulin Online 26-Oct-07
Purdie asks:
Purdie is diabetic and I'm keen to find a way of reducing the cost of the treatment. Currently ... view
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Fleas and skin problem 26-Oct-07
Joanne asks:
I have two cats, a neutered tom and his sister. They are 6 and a half yrs. old. They ... view
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My cat has a hole in its stomach! 23-Oct-07
Sarah asks:
My cat has a hole the size of a dime in its stomach. He doesn't seem to be ... view
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labrador vomiting bile and nearly passing out 22-Oct-07
Paul asks:
Hi there - our five year old male labrador is generally in very good health - excellent appetite, plenty ... view
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Guinea pig fits 22-Oct-07
Renate asks:
My guinea pig is acting strange. I've only had him around a week and he's running as if spooked ... view
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feeding 22-Oct-07
Terry asks:
Is it safe to feed my GSD raw chicken wings, he is 16 months old and is 37 kg? ... view
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