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Does Misery Really Love Company?

Dr. Marty BeckerOne of my first memories as a child was of my father, R.J. Becker, walking slowly back into our southern Idaho farmhouse, supported by my mother, Virginia. He slowly turned his head and looked at me and I didn’t see my dad.

R.J. was a farmer, rancher, and dairyman. Why all three? He broke the back of our 160-acre farm to make farm payments, pay loans for seed and fertilizer, make repairs to aged farm equipment, and have enough for necessities and a few niceties. He was strong of build. There are black-and-white photos of my older brother, Bob Jr, and I holding onto his Popeye biceps as if they were chin-up bars. Athletic, he could make a baseball smoke, throw a football 50 yards, and do Herculean feats of lifting. He could carry a 100-pound haybale in each hand. Folks in our Castleford, Idaho, community nicknamed him Charles Atlas (look it up). But everyone also knew dad was weak. Weak of mind.

They knew because there were many times when he was so depressed, he couldn’t get out of bed for months at a time. My brother and I milked the cows before and after school. Neighbors pitched in to help us harvest our crops and take our steers to market. Then the switch would flip, and Dad would be manic. Mania meant excessive drinking, philandering, gambling, wanting to sell the ranch, and constant threats of splitting up our family through divorce. I remember a pastor cautioning that Dad might take his life with depression but would ruin his life with mania.

Back to when dad looked at me. When he turned his head, I could see where the hair had been cut short on the sides of his head and I could see circles burned into his scalp. I only learned later in life that he’d had shock treatments to try and jump-start his brain out of depression. To get out of the darkness, he was willing to fry his brain (this isn’t much of an exaggeration as the shock treatments of the day were not microdoses and were not done under anesthesia like they are today).

The treatments turned Dad into sort of a zombie. No short-term memory, no joy, a 1000-yard stare. Manic depression is hereditary. Dad’s father, brother, and sister all committed suicide. So did Dad. I’ve had suicidal thoughts as well. My Mom’s genetics gave me a Mensa brain, photographic memory, creativity, and a can-do spirit. Mom’s seemed to define me until my 40s when the “dark clouds,” as Dad used to call them came rolling in.

I’ve always felt that God has played favorites with me. I’ve been married for 43 years to the love of my life, Teresa. I have a great family. I love where I live, love what I do, and feel blessed. But I also have manic depression. My lows aren’t as low as Dad’s; I’ve never been bedridden or had to have shock treatments. Nor are my highs. No excessive drinking, gambling, or risky behavior; just a propensity to spend too much money or give too much money away. In some ways, mania has been a great blessing.

Mania allows you to think that nothing is impossible, and creative ideas can come at you like a summer hailstorm. I know that Fear Free came out of mania. I knew it was something that had to be successful because it helped all stakeholders. The only “no” I knew was “no problem.”

People in our community growing up were either heartbroken for R.J. Becker or scared of him. They didn’t want to see the strongman weak. They also didn’t want to see the strongman intoxicated and angry. Dad? He hated himself, even during the periods when he wasn’t depressed or manic. He was embarrassed. Felt weak and worthless. Even though through his efforts he put all four of his children through college; a physician, an attorney, and a veterinarian. His suffering and shame ended when he mouthed a shotgun just after his 80^th birthday.

I’ve taken a different route. Dad wouldn’t take his medication because he didn’t need it. I always take mine because I know I have to have it. Dad would only talk about his problems with a minister. I trust boarded psychologists and therapists. Dad covered up his mental illness. I share mine with the world because I know that I can help others be successful in treating their mental illness.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had people say, “You have depression? You have everything!” Yes, I’ve got a successful relationship with God, Teresa, my family, my friends and neighbors. Yes, I’ve had a very successful career by all measures. Yes, I’ve seen the world (89 countries) and live in a beautiful log home on a drop-dead gorgeous horse ranch in the mountains of northern Idaho. Yes, I’m part of something that’s changing the world for animals, literally and figuratively, with Fear Free. I do have everything. Except for the right brain chemicals to be happy, healthy, and alive.

In 2020, at age 66, I had my first serious suicidal thought. It was right at the start of COVID, and as I drove home from the airport in Spokane, Washington, to our ranch in Bonners Ferry, Idaho, I looked over at a frozen lake I’d driven by hundreds of times and thought, “I think I’ll just drive over the railroad tracks, onto the thin ice of the lake, and sink.” Blessedly, because of my faith, family, and the mental strength I’ve developed from therapy, my next action after this sinking feeling was to stop the pickup, call my doctor, and make an appointment.

I hope that this message serves to let you know that if you’re depressed, anxious, or suffer any other mental health issue, you’re not alone. To let you know that there are dozens of crazy-happy people you know who are so sad and depressed inside. To paraphrase an old drug message, “Just Say Know.”

If you are in the U.S. and suffer from depression or suicidal thoughts of any sort, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (800-273TALK; 800-273-8255; suicidepreventionlifeline.org). It’s available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. No matter what problems you are dealing with, people on the other end of the line will help you find a reason to keep living. You can find resources outside the U.S. here.(https://www.drmartybecker.com/this-and-that/merry-christmas-and-support-for-those-who-arent-merry/)

This article was reviewed/edited by board-certified veterinary behaviorist Dr. Kenneth Martin and/or veterinary technician specialist in behavior Debbie Martin, LVT.

Dr. Marty Becker, “America’s Veterinarian,” is the founder of Fear Free, which works to prevent and alleviate fear, anxiety, and stress in pets by inspiring and educating the people who care for them. This includes veterinary and other pet professionals as well as pet parents through FearFreeHappyHomes.com and animal shelter and rescue group staff and volunteers through FearFreeShelters.com.

Fear Free Success Story: Animal Welfare League of Alexandria

Sandra Toney
Animal shelters are probably one of the places that cause the most anxiety for a pet. They are confused and scared in the unfamiliar surroundings. More and more shelters are using the skills they learned from the Fear Free program for dealing with distraught and frightened animals. The more that shelter staff use what they learn from the Fear Free program, the more animals they can help to become happy and adoptable pets.

“The Animal Welfare League of Alexandria (AWLA) has always strived to provide the best care to the animals in our facility, and by having all of our staff undergo Fear Free training, we are expanding the way we can help animals be healthier and more comfortable,” says executive director Stella Hanly. “I’ve been so excited to see how our staff has expanded upon these core principles to engage with each animal individually and help them on these next steps of their journeys.”

The Virginia-based nonprofit shelter has been a refuge for homeless pets since 1946. The shelter cares for more than 2,000 animals per year: everything from cats and dogs to iguanas and chinchillas. Five hundred volunteers provide a much-needed boost to day-to-day staff.

Gina Hardter, director of marketing and communications, first became aware of the Fear Free program several years ago when she was looking for a course on dog behavior.

After looking into the program, shelter management decided the entire staff would benefit from Fear Free certification. “We are always looking for ways to advance the level of care we can give to our animals, to keep them happy and healthy,” Hardter says. “The Fear Free approach provided structured guidance that could be used consistently by all of our teams.”

Becoming Fear Free certified gave the team direction in practices they had been considering, says adoptions manager Sean Furmage. “It was a good way for all of us to be working from the same set of information, especially about animal body language, as well as great advice on how to reduce stress in our interactions.”

The personal victories with certain animals have been another benefit of Fear Free certification. Furmage recalls a young terrier mix named Buddie, who was shy and appeared frightened of the men on staff. Furmage spent several weeks simply walking by and tossing her treats, not forcing an interaction, and eventually began to sit with her while attempting to take her outside the kennel. When two male adopters came to meet her, he explained to them what they might see with her.

“During their first meeting, she mostly just watched them from a distance. But then they came back a second time and a third time, and that time, she let them pet her and you could see in her body that she wasn’t as scared,” says Furmage. “We offered them the chance to foster her so they could get to know her even better, and I actually drove her to their house so she felt more comfortable. A week later, they adopted her and have sent us the cutest photos of how well she’s doing with them now.”

Julian Carter, animal care and behavior associate, says becoming Fear Free certified has made a difference in his awareness of animals’ boundaries and how respecting those boundaries can help each animal be more comfortable and less anxious.

“We’re lucky because we can give animals the time and space they need to feel comfortable and, by observing their behavior and reading body language, it helps to cut down on stress and injuries or actions that may result from it.”

Carter had his victory moment with a young, energetic dog named Juice. “He pulled a lot on his leash, was reactive in his kennel, and he didn’t really have any manners. We realized that he needed time to feel comfortable with people, and the consistency of a training plan so that everyone who was working with him was doing the same thing. It helped him to build expectations, which made him more comfortable around people as well as learning manners and tricks that would be helpful when he went to his new home.”

Several trained staff and volunteers worked with Juice. They took him outside so he could burn off excess energy, making his training fun. Soon, it was wonderful for staff and volunteers to see how far he had come from those days of barking and growling in his kennel. Carter says, “Juice actually just went home earlier this week because of the Fear Free treatment and training approach, which helped get him ready for a home environment.” While ultimately that home was not the right fit for Juice, the team at AWLA continues to work with the dog on his training plan to help him grow and be ready to meet his future family.

Working with sick and injured animals is certainly more challenging than healthy ones. Arianne Killen, senior manager of veterinary and foster care, has worked at AWLA for nearly four years. She says when she’s examining animals and performing standard care, she thinks more about the animal’s stress levels and what she can do to keep their anxiety levels down.

Whenever she’s in the veterinary suite, she remembers her Fear Free training. “They are already in pain and probably very stressed,” Killen says, “but by keeping calm, quiet, and moving slowly and predictably, I can help prevent that stress level from rising, which could make them feel even worse.”

A cat named Church came to the AWLA shelter after being at another shelter for about six months and not getting much attention from potential adopters. He hid under his bed when people came around.

“He was also a little shy about people being around his head because of previous medical treatments,” Killen says. “I realized he was the kind of cat that you just needed to follow his lead. If I put my finger out, he would slowly come up and sniff it, then rub his head against it. Once I did that, he was so much more comfortable with me, and then I could work with him much more reliably to provide medical attention.”

Hardter recalls an older Cocker Spaniel who came into the shelter. His leg had been amputated after an injury, and he would yelp or scream whenever anyone touched him, or even if he thought they were going to touch him.

“We could tell he was beyond stressed but did not know how to help,” she says. “We followed his lead by giving him space to be with us without forcing an interaction and soon found he was following close behind us, even though he still didn’t want to be touched. One evening when our office was empty, I just sat on the ground near his bed and started talking to him. I wasn’t looking at him but just chatting in a calm, even voice.”

She started reading him her emails because she didn’t know what else to say. Suddenly, she felt something on her arm. To her surprise, he had approached her on his own and leaned gently against her.

“Because of his location, I was able to pet him on his neck – and he didn’t scream. We sat that way for 20 minutes,” Hardter says. “He still had a way to go before he was ready to find his family, but that was our first sign that he was ready to start that journey and, because we followed his lead, I think he learned that he could trust that people were safe to be around and just wanted to help him.”

This article was reviewed/edited by board-certified veterinary behaviorist Dr. Kenneth Martin and/or veterinary technician specialist in behavior Debbie Martin, LVT.

Sandra Toney has been writing about cats for over 25 years and is an award-winning member of Cat Writers Association and Dog Writers Association of America. She has written for many print and online magazines about cat health and behavior as well as authoring eight books. She lives in northern Indiana with her cat, Angel.

Top photo: Cupcake, courtesy DeSilva Studios; Cooper (rabbit), courtesy Dirty Paw Photography

Bunny Basics: 10 Facts Clients Should Know Before Getting a Rabbit

Steve DaleWhile rabbits can be wonderful pets, they’re often acquired without much forethought or concern for their needs. The following information can help curious clients decide if a bunny is right for their family and provide the proper care these special animals need.

Rabbits are often an impulse purchase made for young children, but in reality they are an 8- to 12-year commitment and better suited to adults or to families with older children. Research beforehand can help ensure that they are the right pet at the right time for a family.
Rabbits have special health needs and require regular veterinary checks and wellness exams. Be prepared to refer clients to an exotic companion mammal specialist or, if one isn’t available in your area, to educate yourself about their needs.
House rabbits should be spayed or neutered. Uterine cancer rates are high among female rabbits. If the cancer hasn’t metastasized, there’s a high curative rate, but if it has, which is common as rabbits age, the outlook is not good. Females can be spayed when they are six months old. Male rabbits can be neutered when 8 to 12 weeks old. Neutering can help to prevent potential hormone-related behaviors in bunnies. That’s important, because those behaviors are often a reason rabbits are relinquished to shelters. Clients should be prepared to seek the advice of a rabbit behavior expert in case their rabbit exhibits behaviors they don’t understand. Putting a house rabbit outdoors to fend for himself is a death sentence.
Pet rabbits aren’t Bugs Bunny. People think rabbits like to eat carrots, and they’re right about that. However, carrots, apples, and other fruits high in sugar should be offered only as small occasional treats. A rabbit’s diet should consist of high-quality pellets and daily fresh hay (timothy hay, oat hay, and other grass hays). Access to fresh hay is essential to rabbit health. Note: rabbits can be great companions for vegetarians in search of a non-meat-eating pet.
Rabbits are often purchased for young children, but the two aren’t a good match. Young children are hard-wired to hug, cuddle, pick up, and carry rabbits. “Rabbits are prey animals by nature; the only time they’re picked up is if they are about to be dinner,” says Anne Martin, executive director of the House Rabbit Society. “They’re usually very fearful of being held and snuggled. Adults and older children are better aware of rabbit body language and respond to what the rabbit is ‘saying.’”
Rabbits don’t like being held, lifted up, or hugged. They may squirm when picked up, Martin says, and are easily injured if dropped.
Rabbits are easy to litter box train. They need a litter box that is large enough to give them plenty of space to move around. Advise clients to fill the box with rabbit-safe litter and fresh hay.
Rabbits are social and love having friends. Before bunny play dates are arranged, though, each bunny should be spayed or neutered and have a clean bill of health. Rabbits can be picky about who their friends are. Clients should place them side by side in cages at first to test compatibility.
Bunnies prefer predictability and aren’t fond of turmoil. They need a place where they can retreat from commotion.
Rabbits should live indoors. Rabbits kept outdoors are at risk from lawn herbicides and pesticides; predators, including neighborhood dogs; and inclement weather. They are happier, healthier, and safer living indoors.

This article was reviewed/edited by board-certified veterinary behaviorist Dr. Kenneth Martin and/or veterinary technician specialist in behavior Debbie Martin, LVT.

Steve Dale, CABC (certified animal behavior consultant) has written and contributed to many books about pets; hosts three radio shows; contributes to Veterinary Practice News, CATSTER and others; is on the Board of Directors of the Human Animal Bond Association and Winn Feline Foundation, and is chief correspondent for Fear Free Happy Homes. He speaks at conferences worldwide. His blog: www.stevedale.tv

Trainer/Groomer Sees Success With Fear Free

Sandra Toney
Jeannette Kincaid became interested in dog training over 20 years ago when she adopted a shy, fearful Border Collie/Australian Shepherd mix named Lydia. Unfortunately, Lydia was terrified of the world. Kincaid says she vowed to make a better life for her dog, so she started researching how to make Lydia feel as safe and happy as possible.

“It lit a spark in me and that passion has never subsided,” says Kincaid.

Going on to live 13 years, Lydia was never a social butterfly but, with Kincaid’s love and encouragement, she enjoyed seeing people and trying new adventures.

“Near the end of her life, we took a beach trip and she settled down on the patio for dinner with us,” Kincaid says, “It was truly one of the best moments of my life.”

Kincaid has now been a professional dog trainer for 15 years and, for the past nine years, has worked at Train My Dogs Austin and Onion Creek Kennels. Train My Dogs Austin is a positive training, boarding, and daycare facility in Austin, Texas, while Onion Creek Kennels in south Austin focuses on daycare, cat and dog boarding, and cat and dog grooming – all using positive reinforcement for the pet clients.

As head trainer at both facilities, Kincaid is currently enrolled in Animal Behavior College’s Grooming Instruction program, so she will soon become a professional groomer as well.

Fear Free certified in both training and grooming, Kincaid decided to take the courses when she began having an influx of training clients whose pets had been let go from their groomers for behavior reasons and needed a new facility for their dogs to be groomed.

Since Kincaid also groomed dogs, she began working with her training clients. “The Fear Free program has been very helpful in teaching me how to work with dogs in a manner that can help them grow to like grooming as well as a good foundation of knowing when to continue grooming and when to stop.”

Her training approach was already similar with the Fear Free program’s principles and techniques, says Kincaid, but what she lacked was concrete ways to illustrate and explain to clients and colleagues why she would continue working with a dog in some circumstances, and when she would stop and step back. The Fear Free certification program gave her great handouts with clear illustrations to help clients learn how to identify FAS (fear, anxiety, and stress). It has clear illustrations laying out various levels of stress such as when to push forward and when to stop and reduce stress.

The handouts have had a huge effect on client follow-through and understanding. She loves the continuing education available. “The Fear Free program has the best webinar on how to do a nail trim that I have seen,” says Kincaid. “Becoming Fear Free certified as a trainer and a groomer has really opened up a whole new subset of clients. It is also extremely rewarding to work dogs into grooming that were not able to be groomed previously. The clients are always so grateful.”

Kincaid says one case where her Fear Free certification was crucial was in working with a 6-month-old Schnauzer other groomers wouldn’t handle. He would start biting even while being brushed. Kincaid decided to take him on as a client because he was young and would need to be groomed for the rest of his life.

“We set up a training program where he came once a week and I worked on counterconditioning him to various tools and holds needed for grooming. We only ever pressed on if he stayed in the green level on the FAS ladder. We adjusted if his FAS started rising.

“We really leaned into the idea of need versus want,” she says, “meaning we stopped frequently, and he went home only partially done. But over a few months, we were able to complete an entire full groom and he went home looking great. This dog was labeled as a dog that couldn’t be groomed and now is able to be groomed and,” Kincaid says, “he loves his groomer.”

This article was reviewed/edited by board-certified veterinary behaviorist Dr. Kenneth Martin and/or veterinary technician specialist in behavior Debbie Martin, LVT.

Sandra Toney has been writing about pets for over 25 years and is an award-winning member of Cat Writers Association and Dog Writers Association of America. She has written for many print and online magazines as well as authoring eight books. She lives in northern Indiana with her cat, Angel.

Feline Pheromones: The Science Behind Them

Ramona MarekIf you have a veterinary practice or manage a shelter, you’re likely familiar with pheromone products available in the form of diffusers, sprays, wipes, or collars. These products claim to stop unwanted behaviors such as scratching, spraying, litter box mishaps, hiding, and fighting. Do they really have those properties, and should you recommend them to clients or adopters? Let’s dive into the science of pheromones: what they are, how they work, and whether they can help cats.

Pheromone History

Scientists have long been fascinated by the notion of chemical communication between members of the same species. The first pheromone, a female silk moth secretion, was chemically identified in 1959 by German chemist Adolf Butenandt and his team.

Pheromones are odorless, colorless chemical signals used as a form of intraspecies scent communication. When detected they cause physiological and behavioral changes.

What Pheromones Do

Pheromones have a broad range of purposes that include alarm signaling, mating, social interactions, territory marking, and maternal bonding. Cats of all species send and receive messages via the pheromone message board.

Pheromones are secreted by specialized sebaceous or mucous glands on the body. For cats, these include facial glands (on chin, cheeks, and forehead), anal glands, paw pads, and mammary area.

When cats rub their heads against people, furniture, or objects, comforting pheromones are released from the cheek glands, marking this place as a comforting one for future feline reference.

Anal glands release pheromones in urine and feces that deliver messages regarding mating viability, expression of fear or stress, or territorial response (think urine marking or spraying). Scratching, a natural cat behavior, releases pheromones from the paw pads. Scratching delivers scent and visual cues about territorial ownership to other cats.

Mammary pheromones are activated in nursing mothers when kittens suckle. Kittens detect the pheromones, which produce a calming response. It also helps kitten and mother cat recognize each other if they become separated.

Pheromones are detected through the complex olfactory system and received via the nasal cavity, lined with millions of olfactory receptor cells. Once detected, cats tongue-flick the molecules to the vomeronasal, or Jacobson’s, organ, located on the roof of the mouth. This stimulates the flehmen response, which causes the mouth to gape open. It may look like a sneer, but this active process enhances pheromone perception. The pathway continues to the brain, which produces a behavioral or physiological response.

Natural pheromones perform a variety of important functions, but what about synthetic pheromones?

Using Synthetic Pheromones

Synthetic pheromones are lab recreations that mimic natural pheromones to help promote a sense of calm and security in stressful situations. The idea is to build a sense of confidence and prevent or alleviate fear, anxiety, and stress (FAS) and related behaviors such as spraying, scratching, and intercat aggression. They are not sedatives, essential oils, or medication.

The first companion animal pheromone product, Feliway Classic by Ceva, debuted on the pet market in 1996. This product, available in spray and diffuser, is a copycat of the feline F3 facial-marking pheromone deposited when cats rub their cheeks on objects, marking the area as safe. Feliway MultiCat, based on the cat appeasing pheromone (CAP), premiered in 2016. CAP originates in the mammary region of nursing mothers and provides a sense of safety, security, and harmony. It helps to reduce conflict and social tension in multi-cat households. Feliway Optimum is the latest diffuser product. FELIWAY Optimum may help to reduce scratching, urine spraying, tension and conflicts between cats, fears, and reactions to changes.

Synthetic pheromone products can be layered and used together in the clinic, shelter, or home. For example, Feliway Classic and Feliway MultiCat diffusers can be used together in exam rooms, shelter cat rooms, and in homes. The diffusers can also be used in combination with the spray Feliway Classic on towels or mats in an exam room, shelter cat living area, or on a cat’s favorite blanket or carrier. In the home, Feliway Optimum can be used in preferred scratching areas.

Other companies have launched similar products, and there are dog versions too. Dog and cat products can be used together to promote peaceful compatibility in multi-pet homes. Because pheromones are species-specific, cat pheromones don’t work on dogs and vice versa.

Does this mean clients or adopters can plug in a diffuser, snap on a collar, or spritz a blanket and expect immediate and magical behavior changes? No. Some cats may be more receptive to pheromones and alter their behavior, but pheromone products aren’t magic elixirs. The underlying cause of the stress must also be identified and resolved.

Synthetic pheromones are an aid in a behavioral plan, not a one-size-fits-all cure. “Synthetic pheromones can be successful when a client follows the written-out behavior plan,” says Rachel Geller, Ed.D., Certified Cat Behaviorist. “Sometimes the addition of synthetic pheromones allows the cat to better access the behavior program. Alone, the products usually aren’t enough to resolve the problem but when used with behavior modification they can resolve some of the emotional part of the problem for the cat. I never put a timeline on resolving cat behavior problems. In these matters, it’s best to go at the cat’s pace!”

Whether used in veterinary clinics, shelters, or homes pheromone products are designed to bolster a sense of calm, comfort, and positive feelings in stressful environments. It’s important to assess the environment from the cat’s perspective.

Trips to the veterinarian usually induce high levels of FAS. Before the trip, advise clients to spray the carrier and a towel with the synthetic pheromone, and wait about 15 minutes for the alcohol to evaporate before putting the cat inside the carrier. Cover the carrier with the towel. The calming effect lasts four to five hours.
Scratching and spraying. “Synthetic pheromones can be used if you have a cat who is peeing to mark his territory. Cats don’t pee on territory where they facially mark, so these products trick the cat into thinking he has already marked the territory as his own,” says Dr. Geller.
Litter box avoidance. First, schedule a vet visit to rule out medical conditions. Recommend that clients set up the litter box arrangement to optimize cat-friendly preferences (size, location, number, preferred litter). Keep it clean! Owners should avoid punishing cats and add positive social interactions.

“Synthetic pheromones are especially helpful for those times where everything is completely new. Examples are moving to a new home, buying new furniture, or putting in new carpet. These products can be used on unfamiliar objects in the home to help a cat feel more safe and secure with them,” says Geller. Suggest that clients use the products in their home before bringing home a newly adopted cat to provide a sense of comfort and security upon arrival.

When a cat’s sense of wellbeing is disrupted, they can become stressed. Stressors can be environmental, physiologic, or social. Stress can be mild, moderate, or severe, temporary, or chronic.

Stress has a profound effect on emotional and physical health and behavior. Stressed cats may refuse to eat, become ill, or develop serious behavior problems. Minimizing stress is crucial to the health and wellbeing of cats. Synthetic pheromones can help to make cats feel safe and secure in their environment.

“Many times, cat behavior is 100-percent fixable and solvable through consistent behavioral interventions that are developed by looking at what is happening from the cat’s point of view. There is always a reason! If there is more going on, such as an emotional issue, stress, or anxiety, pheromones and even a pharmacological approach can be considered,” Geller says.

Pheromone products are versatile and easy to use, and they can be used in combination with a behavioral plan and medical treatments. While not magic, they may be the essential element your feline patients or shelter cats need to ensure a healthy, happy life.

Sources

Rachel Geller, Ed.D., Certified Cat Behaviorist

Gary Landsberg, DVM, DACVB, DECAWBM (CA). Fear Free webinar. The Science for Pheromone Therapy: Show Me the Evidence.

American Scientist. How Animals Communicate Via Pheromones. Tristam Wyatt.

https://www.americanscientist.org/article/how-animals-communicate-via-pheromones

Tristram D. Wyatt, Pheromones, Current Biology, Volume 27, Issue 15, 2017, Pages R739-R743,

ISSN 0960-9822, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2017.06.039.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960982217307765

Prior, Miriam Rebecca, Mills, Daniel Simon. Cats vs. Dogs: The Efficacy of Feliway FriendsTM and AdaptilTM Products in Multispecies Homes. Frontiers in Veterinary Science Volume 7, 2020, Pages 399. ISSN 2297-1769, DOI 10.3389/fvets.2020.00399.

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2020.00399/full

This article was reviewed/edited by board-certified veterinary behaviorist Dr. Kenneth Martin and/or veterinary technician specialist in behavior Debbie Martin, LVT.

Ramona D. Marek, MS Ed, is an award-winning writer and 2017 recipient of the prestigious Fear Free Pets Award. She writes about pet care, health and behavior, and cats in the arts. She’s also the author of “Cats for the GENIUS.” Her feline muses are Tsarevich Ivan, a joie de vivre silver tabby Siberian, and Natasha Fatale, a full-time diva dressed as an “anything but plain” brown tabby. You can read more about Ramona and her work at www.RamonaMarek.com.

Veterinary Profession Burnout: A First-Person Account

Editor’s Note:Alyson Evans is a Fear Free Certified veterinary technician, a certified Compassion Fatigue coach, and the hospital manager at Briargate Boulevard Animal Hospital in Colorado Springs, Colorado. This first-person piece is part of an email to Fear Free Education team staff describing her own experience working in the field, in the currently overwhelmed veterinary industry. We thought that many of you might relate to it, so we asked if we could share it.

I thought I was happy and handling my stress well, but I wasn’t. I was hiding stress from my team and taking it out on my husband and son. Not a healthy way to cope. Burnout is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. It occurs when you feel overwhelmed, emotionally drained, and unable to meet constant demands.

I received some personal coaching about burnout and had some one-on-one time with a coach. It was eye-opening to me and confirmed that I was suffering from burnout. “Suffering” is a difficult word to stomach, especially when talking about yourself.

Here is perhaps an even harder pill to swallow: As women, we let ourselves get into a position of burnout. Men don’t typically experience burnout as much as women do. We are raised and taught to be the primary caregivers for our children and family. We put ourselves last and think that we need to be more like men to succeed.

Once I realized I had allowed myself to take on all of these roles, I said right then: “No more.” I set boundaries at home with my 3-year-old son and my husband. I want to raise my son to know that women are not just caregivers; they are individuals who need boundaries and that he needs to be a partner in any relationship he is in, work or personal.

I told my team that although I seemed happy and upbeat at work, I would go home and keep thinking about all of them. How would I get them pay increases if we didn’t hit our quarterly goals? How could I show more appreciation? Would more of my team quit? How would I find replacement team members given the national shortage of veterinary professionals?

One of my exercises was to fill out a pie chart. Out of 100 percent of the day, how much of that time was spent thinking about work? How much was spent caring for my son? How much time did my husband receive? Then, how much for me? Out of the time spent with my son and husband, how much time was I actually present: No phone on me, not multitasking, but actually engaging with them? This was so difficult, and at this point I burst into tears.

I spent 80 percent of my day thinking about work, from the time I woke up to hours after I had left. I gave 15 percent to my son and 5 percent to my husband, leaving 0 percent to myself.

Having the visual of the pie chart led me to set new rules or boundaries in my home. When my son and I get home from school and work, we spend 30 minutes outside together listening to children’s music and drawing with chalk on our driveway (both adults and kids need to be able to transition from work/school to home). Once we do that, we go inside and I call my husband to see when he will be home so I can make dinner or start prepping dinner for him to make. (We make a weekly dinner menu to take that added daily stress off our plate.) When he arrives home, we each have 30 minutes to send any necessary texts and then phones go on chargers in our bedroom so we can engage, be present, eat together, and talk during dinner. Once our son is in bed, we take 30 minutes to check Facebook or do whatever we want before spending quality time together.

A big part of combating burnout is owning your share of it and how you got there. If there have been a lot of euthanasias, speak up and let your supervisor know that emotionally, you need a break. (I just did four in two days and needed to tap out for the last one of the day). It is okay to admit that and to speak up when it is to the point of emotional breakage, but if you are someone who just dodges euthanasias and puts that strain on your co-workers, then that is not fair to your team members. We must own what is happening to us and reflect on what we are allowing to cause the burnout.

Support staff should check in on doctors who have done multiple euthanasias, as they should with each other. Management needs to do so as well. If management is also a trained tech, have them take a euthanasia or two if they can, to lighten the emotional load that their team carries.

For management teams: When you hear a team member say “I’m so burned out,” take that seriously and pull that member aside to talk. Have that conversation, because if it really is burnout, they need some time to be away from work to focus on themselves, talk with a coach or therapist, and get support. Having wellness conversations with team members is important in this field and is the only way we can keep our team mentally healthy.

Alyson Evans, CVMA CVA, RVT, CVT, CCFP, Hospital Manager, Briargate Boulevard Animal Hospital, Colorado Springs, Colorado

Check out our Fear Free on the House page for resources on wellness, quick tips, and more!

This article was reviewed/edited by board-certified veterinary behaviorist Dr. Kenneth Martin and/or veterinary technician specialist in behavior Debbie Martin, LVT.

Bird Brain: Learning and Problem-Solving in Psittacine Pets

Rachel Lees, RVT, KPA CTP, VTS (Behavior)Parrots and other psittacine pets can be fascinating additions to a home. They are gorgeous, colorful, charismatic and captivating, and it’s all too easy for potential caregivers to think, “How hard can it be to have a pet bird”?

Then they acquire their new family member and find there is quite a bit to know about living with and caring for them, especially when it comes to dealing with common behaviors that are normal for psittacines but problematic for humans. They frequently turn to the internet for advice on how to “fix” these problems, which can include aggression to humans, vocalizing for attention, and self-mutilation such as feather picking.

As veterinary professionals, it is important that we understand how this species learns so we can educate owners accordingly at their first appointment. Living with a psittacine can be financially, emotionally, and mentally draining. Building a strong human-animal bond from the start is the best means to help create long-term homes for pet birds.

Learning is defined as a permanent change in the behavior of an animal after being exposed to a stimulus. Although changes may not be immediately apparent, they are real changes that will affect long-term behavior. It is important to communicate to clients that every interaction they have with their bird is a training session, whether they intend it that way or not. Any time a bird interacts with the environment, behaviors either increase, decrease, or become suppressed. Understanding this is crucial to communicating the best training and behavior recommendations based on science to clients with avian companions.

Increasing and Decreasing Likelihood of a Behavior

Operant conditioning is learning in which a behavior is affected by consequences. When a behavior is associated with something the bird wants, the behavior will strengthen. When a behavior is associated with something the bird finds aversive or dislikes, the behavior will weaken. There are four quadrants of learning common to all animals: positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, positive punishment, and negative punishment.

These terms are unfortunately misused by clients and even some veterinary professionals. They are defined as follows:

Positive (+): Adding something to the situation
Negative (-): Eliminating something from the situation

The terms reinforcement and punishment are defined as follows:

Reinforcement: strengthening a behavior
Punishment: decreasing a behavior

Below is a table reviewing each definition with an example of each quadrant:

Quadrant	Definition	Example
Positive Reinforcement	Addition of a stimulus to increase likelihood of a behavior or to strengthen a behavior	Presenting a finger and when the parrot steps up to station giving a treat. Adding a treat increases likelihood of the “step up” behavior.
Negative Reinforcement	Eliminating a stimulus to increase likelihood of a behavior or strengthen a behavior	An example of this is forcing a bird to step up by pushing a hand into the chest or prying toes off a perch. Eliminating pressure or discontinuing handling reinforces the behavior of stepping up to a perch.
Positive Punishment	Adding a stimulus to decrease likelihood of a behavior	A client’s cockatiel bites when a person reaches out to touch them. The client smacks them on the beak, adding an aversive situation to decrease the likelihood of the biting behavior.
Negative Punishment	Eliminating a stimulus to decrease likelihood of a behavior	A client’s macaw squawks for attention. The client turns their back to ignore the behavior. Taking away attention decreases likelihood of vocalization behavior.

Positive reinforcement and negative punishment are the most humane ways to train most animals. However, negative punishment can induce frustration, increasing FAS, so it’s important to use it with caution. Force or aversive methods are not recommended and can damage the human-animal bond between clients and birds. These methods can also increase fear, anxiety, and stress and can create more aggression concerns. They should be avoided.

Breaking Down Unwanted Behaviors With the Problem-Solving Model

Dividing each behavior and problem is crucial in creating a plan to alter unwanted behaviors. There is no single way to handle any particular behavior. Using the problem-solving model, we can break down the Antecedent, Behavior, and the Consequence to evaluate the trigger and the true problem. The ABCs in the problem-solving model are defined as follows:

Antecedent: stimuli, events, or conditions that immediately precede a behavior.
Behavior: actual behavior caused by the antecedent.
Consequence: stimuli, events, and conditions that occur after a behavior and influence probability of the behavior recurring.

For example: A client comes in and mentions that when their dog barks, the macaw (when out) will fly from her perch and chase the dog.

Breaking down this situation can be done as follows:

Antecedent: Dog barking
Behavior: Flying to chase dog
Consequence: Dog discontinues barking

Now that the behavior is broken down, we can determine motivation for the unwanted response. With animals in general we can simplify things and say that behavior is either self-rewarding (i.e., would happen regardless of the owner’s presence) or human-reinforced. In the example above, this behavior is likely self-reinforced, as the macaw’s behavior results in the dog discontinuing the barking. After this, we can figure out how to solve the problem. Some things to consider:

How to manage and prevent the situation from starting.
What to teach the macaw to do that is incompatible with flying down to attack the dog?
How to interrupt the behavior while it’s occurring.
Foundation skills needed by the dog and the macaw to eliminate and modify this issue.

Breaking down one behavior takes time, expertise, and patience. No behavior can be fixed easily as each behavior has many layers. Encourage clients with birds to seek help from a skilled positive-reinforcement trainer, veterinary behaviorist, or veterinary behavior technician experienced with birds if any behavior problem is mentioned.

References:

Luescher, Andrew. Manual of Parrot Behavior. Blackwell Publishing. 2006

Shaw, Julie K. and Martin, Debbie. Canine and Feline Behavior for Veterinary Technicians and Nurses. Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2015.

Yeates, James. Companion Animal Care and Welfare: The UFAW Companion Animal Handbook. Wiley-Blackwell. 2019.

This article was reviewed/edited by board-certified veterinary behaviorist Dr. Kenneth Martin and/or veterinary technician specialist in behavior Debbie Martin, LVT.

Rachel Lees, an Elite Fear Free Certified Professional, is a veterinary technician specialist in behavior, a KPA certified training partner, and veterinary behavior technician at the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine. She loves helping people create and maintain a strong human-animal bond.

Do Cats Want to Work for Their Food? The Answer May Not Surprise You

Steve DaleFor two decades I’ve been speaking at veterinary and animal behavior meetings about the need to enrich indoor environments for companion animals, but most especially for indoor cats. When I began, Tony Buffington, DVM (professor emeritus at The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine), and others at around that time had begun publishing studies demonstrating that living in a dull environment increases stress in cats and may cause or contribute to both behavior issues and a variety of health problems.

By enrichment, I mean providing suitable outlets to meet the specific, hard-wired needs of a particular species. For cats, enrichment includes the manner in which they are fed.

There’s no doubt that cats, being the predators they are, have a built-in prey drive. But what is the best way to activate that drive, and do cats prefer to be fed?

Years ago, it was discovered that some laboratory rodents and a varied roster of zoo species prefer to work for their food, a phenomenon known as contrafreeloading, rather than dining from a free-standing food dish.

Mikel Delgado, Ph.D., a certified applied animal behaviorist and certified cat behavior consultant, set out to learn if domestic cats contrafreeload in a home environment. The only previous study on cats dated to 1971, with six laboratory cats showing no interest in working for their meals.

Delgado hypothesized that in a home environment, domestic cats would readily contrafreeload and show a preference for eating from a food puzzle compared to a dull tray piled with identical food. She also hypothesized that more active cats would be more likely to contrafreeload.

“I’ve long recommended food puzzles to clients with positive results,” she says. “In nature, cats hunt so I was certain that tapping into what cats are hard-wired to do would be no problem and we’d easily prove the previous study [for cats] wrong. However, science can be funny that way, and yes we were surprised [by the results].”

Those results were recently published in a paper called “Domestic cats (Felis catus) prefer freely available food over food that requires effort” (with Brandon Sang Gyu Han, grad student at the University of California Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, and veterinary behaviorist Melissa Bain, DVM, professor of clinical animal behavior at UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine) in the Journal Animal Cognition.

Seventeen cats participated in the study, using one consistent food puzzle (Trixie Pet Tunnel Feeder Food Puzzle) with a food dish next to it.

Surprise: Cats did little contrafreeloading. Instead, they mostly chose the easy meal from the bowl. Most cats ate some food from both sources, but the amount of food eaten from the easy meal on the tray was significantly higher than the amount of food eaten from the puzzle. Almost half the cats consumed less than 10 percent of food from the puzzle. And none of the cats were considered strong contrafreeloaders.

“Though surprising, our findings were statistically relevant,” says Delgado. “There wasn’t a lot of variability.”

However, veterinary behaviorist Theresa DePorter, DVM (who is boarded both in the U.S. and Europe), says, “We’ve actually known for a very long time that domestic cats do contrafreeload – depending on how we define contrafreeload – as very well fed indoor/outdoor cats who clearly don’t require a meal but apparently enjoy the chase and catch and then deliver rodents or birds as live ‘gifts.’”

Dr. DePorter, who lives in a rural setting, says one of her cats – who happens to be very well fed – catches mice.

Liz Bales, VMD, notes another factor: “The seeking circuit was missing in this study. Cats need to go through seeking and finding their prey, the hunt. The pounce and eat is only a fraction of the process, which was represented by the food puzzle but it just sits on the ground next to a food bowl and may not be stimulating enough for many cats who naturally are hard-wired to seek. Also, there’s no movement involved with this particular food puzzle, and movement is stimulating for cats.”

Dr. Bales adds: “In my experience, cats being cats, the acclimation period, four to 12 days, of a novel way to feed wasn’t nearly long enough. I would think the acclimation period to the food puzzle should be months and not days.” And indeed, Bales does have acclimation experience as she is also an entrepreneur who created “hunting products” for cats, notably the Indoor Hunting Feeder (https://docandphoebe.com/).

Cats may be timid, cautious or at least circumspect about anything novel such as a new food puzzle, adds DePorter. “Yes, they may well require more acclimation time, particularly since these cats may have had no prior experience with food puzzles.”

Neither Bales nor DePorter quibble with the notion that this study was well-thought out and important, but both consider it only a start, and Delgado doesn’t disagree.

Delgado’s hypothesis that generally more active cats would be more into contrafreeloading also fell flat.

Delgado suggests: “Perhaps it means lives are so enriched of the cats in the study that their drives to use puzzle feeders was reduced. Perhaps we could have better acclimated and more motivated by using treats at first in the feeders. Also, individual cats may have individual preferences to different food puzzles.”

Delgado, who co-owns a website that sells puzzle feeders (www.foodpuzzlesforcats.com) is in no way suggesting pet parents diminish use of puzzle feeders. “For starters, do understand most of the cats in our study did eat something from the puzzle feeder.”

Bales says “countless times” she has witnessed her puzzle feeders contributing to solve behavior problems, which in some cases has kept cats in homes.

DePorter also remains a cheerleader for puzzle feeders. “I absolutely don’t interpret this study is suggesting not to use puzzle feeders – that would be a mistake. We know puzzle feedings are enriching, help to control food intake, and provide physical and mental exercise and may reduce obesity – which is so common among cats. And, of course, obesity leads to a laundry list of issues.”

Delgado concludes, “Certainly, there’s more to learn, more to do – understanding cats has never been easy.”

This article was reviewed/edited by board-certified veterinary behaviorist Dr. Kenneth Martin and/or veterinary technician specialist in behavior Debbie Martin, LVT.

Steve Dale, CABC (certified animal behavior consultant), hosts two national pet radio shows and is on WGN Radio, Chicago. He’s a regular contributor/columnist for many publications, including CATSTER, Veterinary Practice News, and the Journal of the National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America. He’s appeared on dozens of TV shows, including Oprah, many Animal Planet Programs, and National Geographic Explorer. He has contributed to or authored many pet books and veterinary textbooks such as “The Cat: Clinical Medicine and Management” and co-edited Decoding Your Dog, by the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists. He speaks at conferences around the world. www.stevedale.tv.

Telehealth Is a Win for Vets, Pets, and Clients

Steve DaleRoxy’s arthritis had worsened. Because of the 18.5-year-old Devon Rex cat’s history of gastrointestinal issues, her veterinarian and owners had few pharmaceutical options for managing her pain.

For clients, seeing a pet in pain is the worst. Cats are especially adept at masking pain, so when they actually show they are in pain, they are really hurting. That’s where we were with Roxy.

Gabapentin had been prescribed, but all it did was increase her catnap time. I consulted an expert. “Let me hold Roxy’s paw and we’ll slowly increase the dosage,” said Robin Downing, DVM, internationally renowned for her knowledge about pain in pets.

Dr. Downing consulted with my Chicago, Illinois-based primary care practitioner Natalie Marks, DVM, who welcomed Dr. Downing’s contribution.

Downing gradually upped the dose of the gabapentin, and her persistent yet measured effort appeared to bring results without an accompanying significant primary side effect of the drug: drowsiness.

“Multimodal is the best approach for osteoarthritis for nearly all cats,” Downing says. To that end, we began to employ a tool called an Assisi Loop, which uses targeted pulsed electromagnetic field technology to treat pain and decrease inflammation. That not only benefited Roxy’s osteoarthritis, but also had the potential to aid her GI issues. In addition, for arthritis I give her injections of Adequan.

That was in 2018 and Roxy clearly benefited from the collaboration between Drs. Downing and Marks and the multimodal approach. However, about a year ago, I noted that Roxy appeared to be struggling a tad more and asked Dr. Marks for further advice.

“The struggle we have as small-animal practitioners is that we only have certain pain medications that are safe and approved for cats as they age, and many are contraindicated for cats with other conditions,” Marks said. “Our goal for our patients is for them to have the best quality of life and to be as pain free as possible every day. The beauty of veterinary medicine today is that we have a variety of integrative therapies which are readily available, and I thought about medical massage therapy. And technology can deliver a way to demonstrate options as never before.”

She suggested I contact Rosemary LoGiudice, DVM, who is boarded in veterinary rehabilitation medicine and practices in Hanover Park, Illinois. She is at least an hour from my home, not to mention this was all happening at the height of the pandemic.

Marks said, “I think this may be the perfect use of telehealth. And I believe massage therapy may help.” Dr. LoGiudice agreed.

LoGiudice noted that ideally she would want to get her hands on Roxy to feel her flexibility and for heat in the joints. But she was able to communicate with Dr. Marks, who has known Roxy most of her life and had recently examined her.

Using my phone, I took video of Roxy moving in her own element from different angles as directed by LoGiudice, who says, “When I can see the dog, cat, or horse moving in a natural way, I can get a good feel for stride and how the joints are moving. Very few dogs and cats are going to show me in the exam room how they move at home.”

LoGiudice and I jumped on a Zoom show and tell call. Dr. LoGiudice held a plush dog in her lap. She showed me exactly what to do, where to do it and how much pressure to exert when offering massage therapy. Old-school written directions could never replicate Dr. LoGiudice demonstrating, and then watching me and directing me, “Move your hand slightly lower.”

I gradually spent more time every night massaging Roxy. Roxy not only didn’t fend off the nightly spa treatment, she began to request it. Even now, a year later, when I stop, she paws at my face demanding more.

That was no surprise to Downing. “If this was causing Roxy pain or discomfort, or Roxy didn’t enjoy it, she still moves well enough to walk away,” she says.

Watching video of Roxy two weeks after the start of the Dale Spa treatment, LoGiudice wasn’t surprised either by the effect of medical massage to slightly but noticeably increase Roxy’s mobility and interest in exploring or moving to whatever room my wife and I are in. Also, LoGiudice is now inspired by the idea of using video and video chat to support clients in a way she hadn’t previously considered.

Downing agreed. “There’s no substitute for being hands-on with our patients, and for office visits, but you can certainly observe more remotely than what is possible in an exam room. And to schedule time for a virtual lesson in medical massage therapy, acupressure techniques, or teaching animals how to stretch are only a few examples.”

From her perspective of having known Roxy for more than half her life, Dr. Marks says, “I absolutely saw a difference in Roxy. What I really loved about this collaboration isn’t only about considering integrative care, it’s about how veterinarians are being creative to help all involved, especially at this time. And right now, we do need to be creative. I hope this specific type of partnership and using technology in the way we did with Roxy becomes a model, sticking around long after the pandemic.”

This article was reviewed/edited by board-certified veterinary behaviorist Dr. Kenneth Martin and/or veterinary technician specialist in behavior Debbie Martin, LVT.

Steve Dale, CABC (certified animal behavior consultant), hosts two national pet radio shows and is on WGN Radio, Chicago. He’s a regular contributor/columnist for many publications, including CATSTER, Veterinary Practice News, and the Journal of the National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America. He’s appeared on dozens of TV shows, including Oprah, many Animal Planet Programs, and National Geographic Explorer. He has contributed to or authored many pet books and veterinary textbooks such as “The Cat: Clinical Medicine and Management” and co-edited Decoding Your Dog, by the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists. He speaks at conferences around the world. www.stevedale.tv.

Are Your Clients Raising Avian Junk-Food Junkies? What They Should Know About Feeding Birds

The idea that birds should eat all-seed diets likely has its roots in two facts:

Many birds are uniquely adapted to eat seeds and nuts, able to effortlessly crack even the hardest shells and extract the tender insides.
Birds love seeds.

If birds love seeds and are engineered to eat them, doesn’t it follow that the bulk of a pet bird’s diet should be seeds? Absolutely not.

The nutritional needs of our birds’ counterparts in the wild may well be quite different from those of our pet birds, living in luxury in our homes. Also, the nutritional makeup of what they eat in the wild may be quite different from what we feed them in our homes. They’re living very different lives!

All-seed diets make most pet birds sick over time, because seeds deny them the nutrients they need for longer-term survival, add nutritional components that are excessive and unhealthy, and ultimately weaken them to the point where other diseases find it easy to take hold. The fact that pet birds can survive at all on such diets is a testament to the toughness of birds.

An all-seed diet contributes both directly (through malnutrition) and indirectly (by weakening the bird, making it easier for infectious disease to take hold) to a serious reduction in the possible life span of any pet bird – by half or more in many cases.

But birds know what’s good for themselves, right? After all, parrots are very intelligent. Well, so are you, but we bet that fact hasn’t stopped you from enjoying tasty treats that you know aren’t good for you. For birds, seeds are the equivalent of a greasy burger: junk food. And it’s that high-fat component that tends to get them in trouble. Too many pet birds (and people) are junk-food junkies.

Pelleted foods are a solid basis for a bird’s diet, but even pellets, wonderful as they are, probably need to be supplemented with vegetables, fruits, and other such “people food” as bread and pasta. Giving different foods in addition to pellets is a way to replicate the way most psittacines eat in the wild, consuming a wide variety of foods that vary seasonally.

This article was reviewed/edited by board-certified veterinary behaviorist Dr. Kenneth Martin and/or veterinary technician specialist in behavior Debbie Martin, LVT.

Excerpted from Birds For Dummies, 2^nd ed., by Brian L. Speer, DVM, Kim Campbell Thornton and Gina Spadafori, Wiley, 2021.

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