Behavioural consults OLD

Vets do animal behaviour, as well as neurology, physiology and pharmacology (all useful in behavioural consults) as part of their degree course and are better placed to perform behavioural consults and counselling than most lay people or dog trainers.

Vets obviously know about veterinary medicine and can rule in or out medical problems that can be possible red-herrings for behavioural problems, especially to non-veterinarians. Common examples are toileting problems in cats (with crystals or cystitis), self-mutilation in dogs that are suffering from joint pain or neuralgia, epilepsy, senility, hearing problems, brain diseases.

Just as some vets in the practice are more interested in doing certain types of work, that does not preclude any of us from doing general veterinary consults, and this includes behavioural consults.

Clients often do not seek veterinary assistance as they think we only deal with sickness and injury. Behavioural consults are as important, we think, because more dogs (and possibly cats) will be euthanased every year for behavioural problems than will die of parvo, distemper or leptospirosis and infectious illnesses that we have no problem happily vaccinating for.

Behavioural consults can be harder than sick animal consults because the problem is often associated with or even caused by the owner. It therefore requires excellent history taking, time and follow-ups.

Rappaw are able to offer a range of in-clinic and in-home behavioural consultations to best suit the needs of your pet and your families requirements.


Puppy preschool is some of the best and most rewarding behavioural work we currently do. Very few problem dogs come out of the 120 plus pups that go through puppy preschool every year.

We as vets often having trouble charging for our services, and even more so for behavioural problems, yet these can be expensive problems if left for our clients, with destruction of furniture and cars, impounding fees, soiled, smelly carpets, attacks on other animals (and their vet bills), in addition to the mental angst many clients have.

Our practice mission is that in caring for their pets and looking after our clients and by doing our very best every time and every day our clients will have a healthy, happy bond with their pets. A pet with a behavioural problem does not make for a happy relationship or bond.

Rappaw clinics