ABSTRACT: Through failing to ensure that owners are capable of maintaining their pet’s emotional welfare, is the veterinary community falling short of their professional obligation to “do none harm”? Owner requirements of relationships with pets are becoming increasingly demanding and similar to that of the human-human bond. Simultaneously, the environment in which pets live is both less comparable to anything that might be considered “normal” for the species yet increasingly likely to involve challenging social and environmental complexity. These mismatches between human expectations and pet behavioural and emotional welfare needs are leading to levels of pet loss (through stress-related illness, euthanasia and relinquishment) that far exceed that for medical issues.

This article takes an overview of current in-practice behavioural support and how it can be expanded to better meet the needs of pets and owners, assisting a mutual meeting of expectations.

Author

Claire Hargrave MSC BSc (Hons) PGCE csci CChem MRSC CCAB

Claire is a Certified Clinical Animal Behaviourist and a Member of the Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors who worked in veterinary practice for over 30 years. Claire currently lectures in behaviour and runs a specialist referral practice for companion animal behaviour cases located in South West Wales. www.petbehaviourwales.co.uk Email: erwwastad@aol.com

Keywords: Cronic medical, Clinical 

To cite this article: Veterinary Nursing Journal • VOL 32 (04) • April 2017 pp98-102

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