Taking a Behavioral History

How long should you devote to taking a behavioral history?

30 - 90 minutes...must be very thorough
What do we need to identify in the history?
- problem
- stimulus
When dealing with a behavior problem at the vet, who all should be there?

the pet and the whole family
What kind of background information should we ask?
- where did they get the pet?
- how old?
- diet?
- other animals/people in the home?
- prior experiences with it/others?
What should we rule out when there is a behavior problem?

make sure it is not disease related
How should the owner describe the problem?
- exactly what does the pet do and when?
- what is going on just before the act? and after?
- when did they first notice the problem?
What do we need to know about the problem itself?
- how often does it occur?
- what do they do when it occurs?
- is it increasing in frequency or severity?
What can the owner do to document the behavior?
- keep a log
- videotape the behavior
What is the owner often dealing with when they come to discuss a behavior problem?
- guilt
- feel like they should have done something sooner or that they caused the problem
What do we need to find out from the owner about the outcome of fixing the problem?

what are their expectations
What are some outcomes of trying to fix a behavior?
- fix the behavior
- find the pet a new home
- euthanasia

Author

kris10leejmu

170356

Card Set

Taking a Behavioral History

Description

Behavior

Updated

2012-09-12T03:23:52Z

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