Bite-Sized Behavior Consults

Our goal for the Bite-Sized Behavior Consults is to be able to provide behavioral assistance to families that are unable to attend a behavior consult with our veterinary behavior specialist due to financial constraints. These lower-cost consults are run by our experienced Behavior Clinician (veterinarian), and follow-up is done through the primary veterinarian. These in-person consultations are for dogs and cats.

The Bite-Sized Behavior Consult is a good fit for:

• Pets with problem behaviors that would benefit from a behavior-focused veterinary evaluation, including (but not limited to) most cases of aggression, separation distress, fears, and phobias.
• Clients and referring veterinarians who want a starting point for a pet’s behavioral treatment
• A pet whose initial treatment at the referring vet is not going as expected, and the referring vet would like an evaluation for other options

These consults are not a good fit for:

• Behavioral cases that the referring veterinarian does not feel comfortable doing the follow-up. In these cases, a Behavior Health Assessment with our Veterinary Behavior Specialist is recommended.

Scheduling a Bite-Sized Behavior Consult

1. Referring veterinarian: Fill out the online Veterinary Referral Form to send us information about the patient and agree to the scope of collaboration for this service.
2. Our team contacts the client with intake information and schedules the appointment. The consultation fee is $295 and prepayment is required at the time of scheduling. Our team will not initiate contact with a client without a veterinary referral form.
3. The client will receive an email with the link to the Bite-Sized Behavior Consult online form. This form should be filled out, submitted, and received by our team to contact the client for scheduling.
4. During the in-person consult, our Behavior Clinician will discuss patient-specific strategies for managing problem behavior, supporting the human-animal bond, and finding an appropriate trainer for behavior modification.
5. After the consult, the client will receive a summary of the information from the consultation and associated client education. Veterinarians will receive additional information on medication recommendations to facilitate the patient’s treatment, as well as what to expect from medications, recheck schedule, and the next choice of medication in the event that the first is not a good fit.

In order to keep the cost of this service as low as possible, we are not able to provide follow-up to the client after the consult. Referring veterinarians may choose to charge a separate fee to patients for the implementation of the recommended medication plan and follow-up advising. If a patient is not responding as anticipated, then a referral for a Behavioral Health Assessment with our veterinary behavior specialist is recommended.

Cancellation policy: Please review our cancellation policy to determine what applies to different circumstances.

• If you reschedule 7 days or more prior to your appointment, we will happily help you reschedule your appointment (once) within 6 months of the original appointment date.
• If you cancel 7 days or more prior to your appointment, all but $150 of your deposit is refundable.
• If you cancel or reschedule at 7 days or less prior to your appointment, we will remove the appointment and it will no longer be available. Your full payment (of $295) and any Additional Pet or Urgent Appointment Fees (if applicable) are forfeited and will need to be paid again prior to rescheduling.