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Behavior Issues in the Postpandemic World

Behavior problems have come to the forefront of veterinary medicine, receiving a lot of interest amongst veterinary professionals and owners alike. Whether it is due to owners being more aware of problems or whether veterinary professionals are tackling them earlier, addressing the behavior of the pet is becoming standard of care.

Published Mar 1, 2024

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March 2024: The Behavior Issue

Commonly Seen Problems and How to Address Them

By Melissa Bain, DVM, DACVB, DACAW

Behavior problems have come to the forefront of veterinary medicine, receiving a lot of interest among veterinary professionals and owners alike. Whether it is due to owners being more aware of problems or whether veterinary professionals are tackling them earlier, addressing the behavior of the pet is becoming standard of care. Once you see something, you can’t unsee it.

Is this uptick only due to veterinary vigilance? Or are pets presenting more frequently for these problems since the pandemic, and why would that be? Here are some hypotheses on the reasons behind the uptick.

Limited Appropriate Social Interactions

It was a worldwide pandemic, and lockdowns restricted our ability to interact with others, trickling down to our pets. How many of us walked our dog on a 6-foot leash and dredged up trigonometry to determine how far away we were from another person on a walk? There was also a concern about nonhuman animals carrying and transmitting COVID-19 to humans, so there were recommendations to limit nonfamily members petting their pets. At least two different studies have shown that lack of social interactions, especially during a dog’s primary socialization period ending at roughly 14–16 weeks, can lead to increased anxiety and aggression.

More Time at Home

Especially during the early stages of the pandemic, people were more likely to be home, sometimes never leaving their pet alone at all, which, based on a recent study, seemed to increase a dog’s anxiety level, and likely has also affected our cats’ behaviors. This new routine became the new normal, so when owners resumed their typical routines of leaving to go to work, this shift in time spent home sent some pets into a panic.

It was a worldwide pandemic, and lockdowns restricted our ability to interact with others, trickling down to our pets.

Environmental Changes

Some owners were forced to change their living arrangements, whether moving into or out of a home, or being sequestered into a separate part of the house due to potential COVID-19 exposure at work. These changes may have exacerbated anxiety and may have contributed to territorial aggression and resource guarding, both of which are manifestations of anxiety.

Curbside Veterinary Care

Curbside care was often a necessity to help protect veterinary staff from contracting COVID-19. One upside to this was that pets (and owners) didn’t have to wait in loud and crowded waiting rooms. However, behavioral downsides included owners not being present during veterinary examinations and care.

Multiple studies have demonstrated that dogs and cats are by far more comfortable when their owners were present in the exam room with them. While some in the veterinary profession will say the pet is better in “the back,” that is sometimes either due to the animal shut down with fear, or veterinary staff using more aversive methods of restraint not demonstrated in front of an owner.

Lack of Training

As the world shut down, so did most dog training classes. While they are not the only opportunity for a dog to learn cues and socialize, they provide an opportunity for owners to learn about care and training, while providing stability and predictability for both dog and owner.

Owner–Pet Mismatch

During the pandemic, it was sometimes difficult for shelters and rescue agencies to properly staff for animal care, whether it was at the beginning during lockdowns, or as employees became unable to work if they tested positive for COVID-19. This led to increased adoptions, sometimes to owners with a newly found desire to foster or adopt a pet.

This increase was generally seen as positive, as evidenced by no identifiable increase in re-relinquishments. However, some pets were not well-suited for their new home, whether it was conflict with a resident pet or a mismatch with the new owners’ knowledge, skills, and ability to properly care for that individual. Some may have had pre-existing behavior problems for which they were originally relinquished to the shelter. So what is the solution?

Due to many of the factors described above, some common problems seen postpandemic are anxiety at the veterinary clinic, interdog aggression, and separation-related disorders. But where does this leave the veterinarian, who is stretched in time and mental fortitude to focus on behavioral issues, especially in the postpandemic world? Veterinarians can work to triage these behavioral cases, diagnose a problem, and identify when or how to best collaborate and/or refer to other professionals.

Below is a breakdown of these common issues and steps to address them.

Anxiety at the Veterinary Clinic

Many things can be done to help alleviate anxiety at the veterinary clinic. Triaging and prioritizing what you and your teammates can do is an important first step. More detailed and practical information can be found in other resources (see sidebar).

Prioritize “needs” versus “wants.” Do you NEED to do that nail trim? Do you NEED to have your assistant obtain a temperature on the pet before you see it? Sometimes the answer is yes, but sometimes it isn’t.
Utilize anti-anxiety medication (previsit pharmaceuticals, PVP), including but not limited to gabapentin and trazodone. If these are not sufficient in alleviating anxiety, injectable sedation or anesthesia will allow the veterinarian to perform a more complete examination, especially if the animal is painful.
Identify when a pet starts to display anxious behavior so that you can pause or stop what you are doing at the moment to reassess. Resources below can offer ideas for you and your staff.
Utilize lower-stress handling techniques, locations, and timing.
Perform as many procedures as possible with the owner present, taking safety into consideration.
Further treatment can include a development of “Victory Visit” protocols, partnering with staff, veterinary behaviorists, and trainers with experience in helping pets with these specific problems.

Many things can be done to help alleviate anxiety at the veterinary clinic.

Identifying Problems at Wellness Visits

Veterinarians may feel underprepared to investigate and treat behavior problems in pets, leading to lack of identification and subsequent treatment. Discussion of preventative care and early identification of problems should be prioritized, whether it is primarily a behavioral or physiological problem.

The broad overview, taken directly from the 2015 AAHA Canine and Feline Behavior Management Guidelines (aaha.org/behavior), is as follows:

Integrate basic behavioral management into all aspects of clinical practice so that every patient gets the best hands-on care in a low-stress environment.
Understand age-specific normal and abnormal behavior for dogs and cats to ensure developing or existing behavioral problems are recognized and addressed.
Promote routine assessment of behavioral development and changes in behavior through the use of standardized assessment tools.
Provide owners with guidance regarding the most common canine and feline behavioral conditions so clients seek help early (if needed).
Create cooperative patients and superb client–veterinarian–patient relationships so the patient and client can benefit from a lifetime of the best possible care.
Impress upon the entire veterinary health care team the importance of making behavioral management a core competency of the practice.

Within this framework are the following steps:

Prioritizing what NEEDS to happen versus what you and the clients WANT to have happen
Making a diagnosis
Developing a practical management plan
Identifying some tools, including medications, that can help everyone meet these goals
Developing a full treatment plan, which may involve referral or partnership with veterinary behaviorists or other animal care professionals

Interdog Aggression

With the lack of socialization, not attending in-person training classes, and COVID-19 distancing, dogs can develop aggressive behaviors toward other dogs based in fear and frustration.

Again, prioritize “needs” versus “wants.” The owner may NEED their dog to not get into fights with another household dog, but WANTS to take their dog to the dog park.
Make a proper diagnosis of the root reason. Is it more based in fear, therefore, having a higher need for anti-anxiety medications and behavior modification? Or is it frustration, with a treatment more focused on training and behavior modification?
Educate the client on management techniques, which could be limiting outdoor walks to “Sniffaris” or covering windows and playing white noise or classical music to buffer the triggers of passing dogs outside.
Utilize appropriate tools, such as front-attach harnesses and head collars instead of those inflicting pain and discomfort to control the behavior, such as prong/pinch collars, choke collars/slip leads, or electronic/shock collars.
Medications, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), may be beneficial if the behavior is based in fear, anxiety, and/or high arousal/impulsivity.
Partnering with a highly trained dog trainer who utilizes humane training techniques, or referral to a veterinary behaviorist, is an important part of helping owners manage and treat these dogs.

Separation-Related Disorders

Separation-related disorder, or separation anxiety, is a condition in which a dog panics when separated from their owner. While the jury is still out as to whether dogs are more likely to be diagnosed with separation-related disorders after the pandemic, changes that occurred during this stressful time may play a role in how dogs react to our departures. Further discussion and treatment options can be found in multiple books and other resources.

Confirm your diagnosis. Differentials include generalized anxiety, confinement anxiety, and barrier frustration. A videorecording of the dog when left alone will help veterinarians more definitively diagnose the problem.
Management, such as never leaving the dog alone or taking the dog to daycare, can be very difficult, if not impossible, for the majority of owners.
Anti-anxiety medications play an important role in improving the dog’s welfare. These include quick-onset medications for immediate relief, along with maintenance anti-anxiety medications.
Tools, such as long-lasting food toys and calming music, may be beneficial in helping to prevent separation-related distress but are often ineffective in treating dogs with separation-related disorders and may even become the salient cue that the owner is about to depart.
You can deliver treatment plans directly to the owners, or refer them to a veterinary behaviorist. As this is a true panic disorder, treatment is more focused on changing the emotional state of the animal compared to teaching it cues while training.

scared dog on sofa while cat sleeps beneath sofa

Information overload coupled with limited time in veterinary medicine can make it feel overwhelming to even start addressing behavior problems. Identification and diagnosis are the first important steps, followed by alleviating anxiety and providing practical tips for management, which is then followed by referral, partnership, or certainly treatment oneself. By addressing these things, veterinarians can prioritize and tackle the most pressing concerns while developing a comprehensive approach to manage or resolve the behavior problem.

Resources

American Animal Hospital Association, “2015 AAHA Canine and Feline Behavior Management Guidelines”, https://www.aaha.org/aaha-guidelines/behavior-management/behavior-management-home/

Miller, P. and L. Sinn (2023). Veterinary Cooperative Care: Enhancing Animal Health Through Collaboration with Veterinarians, Pet Owners, and Animal Trainers, Dogwise.

Riemer, S., et al. (2021). “A Review on Mitigating Fear and Aggression in Dogs and Cats in a Veterinary Setting.” Animals 11(1): 158. https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/11/1/158 (Open Access)

Tynes, V. V. (2021). “Separation anxiety and the “pandemic puppy”: What lies ahead after lockdown.” NEWStat. https://www.aaha.org/publications/newstat/articles/2021-06/separation-anxiety-and-the-pandemic-puppy-what-lies-ahead-after-lockdown/

Feline Body Language resource

Maddie’s University, “Feline Communication: How to Speak Cat.” https://university.maddiesfund.org/products/feline-communication-how-to-speak-cat

Canine Body Language resource

ASPCA Pro “Speaking Dog! Canine Communication” Three-part series: www.aspcapro.org/training/webinar/speaking-dog-canine-communication-1-3 www.aspcapro.org/training/webinar/speaking-dog-canine-communication-2-3 www.aspcapro.org/training/webinar/speaking-dog-canine-communication-3-3

Melissa Bain, DVM, DACVB, DACAW, is a veterinarian and professor of clinical animal behavior at UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. In 2016 she was selected as the AVMA’s Bustad Companion Animal Veterinarian of the Year.