Frequently asked questions.

A board-certified veterinary behaviorist (DACVB) is a veterinarian who completed a residency in behavior medicine and passed the board examination of the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists, the same specialist pathway as a cardiologist or a dermatologist. “Veterinary psychiatrist” is the plain-language version of the same role. There are roughly one hundred of us worldwide.

Trainers and certified applied animal behaviorists do valuable work, and I refer to good ones constantly, but only a veterinarian can examine your pet, diagnose medical disease, and prescribe. That matters because pain and illness are among the most common hidden drivers of behavior change.

The full explainer, training path, when to ask for a referral, and where medication fits, is in the article “What is a veterinary behaviorist?”

No referral is required. That said, I strongly encourage your primary veterinarian to stay involved in every part of your pet's health and well-being, behavior medicine works best alongside general practice, not instead of it.

On request, I'll send your veterinarian a full written report of your pet's visit.

The initial pet psychiatry consultation is 1.5 hours.

Fees reflect board-certified specialist expertise, the length of the appointment, the individualized written treatment plan, and telephone follow-up, and are comparable to those of other veterinary specialists. Please contact me for the current fee schedule.

Many pet insurance companies cover a behavior consultation with a veterinarian board-certified in veterinary behavior medicine (Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Behaviorists). Coverage varies widely, please inquire directly with your insurer before your appointment.

Legally, I must have a valid veterinarian–client–patient relationship before I can diagnose a pet or provide individualized treatment. Behavior problems also rarely have a one-line answer, a wrong guess can make things worse.

If you're looking for general education rather than a diagnosis, the free guides, articles, and courses are built for exactly that.

Both. I offer a hybrid model of virtual and in-person pet psychiatry consultations. There are legal requirements to establish an in-person veterinarian–client–patient relationship (VCPR) for certain prescriptions; otherwise a VCPR can be established remotely within the state of California.

I also offer vet-to-vet consultations for colleagues managing a behavior case.

One-on-one consultations are available to pets located in California, where I am licensed to practice, so I'm not able to take on clients in other states or countries.

That doesn't leave you with nothing. The Pet Psychiatry Hub courses, free guides, and articles are open to pet parents worldwide and teach the same clinical framework I use in consultations. Your primary veterinarian is also welcome to reach out about a vet-to-vet consultation on your pet's case.

Before a remote behavior consultation, the VCPR can be established through a brief 5–10 minute in-person curbside “meet and greet.” It gives me a chance to meet and observe your pet firsthand.

Although recommended, the meet and greet is only legally required for future prescribing (if medication turns out to be warranted after a full assessment). In California, telemedicine consultations can otherwise proceed without an in-person VCPR, helpful if travel distance or your pet's travel stress is a barrier. If you'd prefer to skip it, just let me know.

I may prescribe or recommend medication alongside science-based behavior therapy and environmental modification if I determine it is necessary to treat your pet. That decision is made case by case, and only after a full assessment and a diagnosis, never as a first reflex or a substitute for a behavior plan.

All family members should try to attend, so everyone involved can contribute to the history and hear the treatment discussion firsthand.

If the problem is conflict between household pets, please have no more than two animals present without prior approval. Video of their interactions tells me far more than a tense live introduction does.

First and foremost, exercise safety precautions if your pet is aggressive. Do not put your pet into situations that are potentially dangerous to you, your pet, other people, or other animals.

Then keep a short journal of the following:

• Interactions with family members and other pets.
• Triggers of the problem behavior.
• How you respond to the problem behavior.
• If your pet is urine marking or eliminating inappropriately: which areas, and how many times per day or week.
• In many cases your regular veterinarian should run basic lab work, CBC, chemistry panel, and urinalysis, before the appointment. Please send those results along with the medical records ahead of time.
• If it can be captured safely, video of the behavior is extremely helpful to the evaluation.

New client? The welcome letter and history forms live on the client forms page.

As above, exercise safety precautions if your pet is aggressive. Never set up a situation that puts a person or animal at risk just to get footage.

Recording before your appointment helps me:

• See where your pet spends time, so I can picture your actual household.
• Understand your pet's relationships with family members and other pets.
• Characterize your pet's behavior when left alone.

You don't need fancy equipment, a smartphone, webcam, or tablet is fine. Unless you're capturing home-alone behavior, a few minutes of footage is plenty.

Do not record if you believe your pet will harm itself. Set up a camera in your home while you are not there, positioned to cover as much area as possible, or the specific spot where your pet spends time alone.

Exercise safety precautions so there is no risk of injury to any animal. If needed, keep them separated by leash, gates, or a glass door. I can read a great deal from body language alone.

If possible, also record normal moments, play, rest, walks, the yard, and interactions with different family members.

Show the areas where your pet has eliminated. If possible, catch your pet in the act.