Initial Behavior Consultation for New Patients

The initial behavior consultation is an in-office appointment (90 minutes) at our office in Carmel. Our VBI team will review your pet’s behavior history, observe your pet in the office (and view any video clips you provide ahead or during the consultation), and perform a physical exam if indicated.

After the assessment is completed, our team will discuss the diagnosis and develop an individualized treatment plan for your pet. Additional diagnostics (like blood work) or medical treatments may be recommended to be done by your primary veterinarian.

The behavior treatment plan includes a combination of:

1. Management strategies
2. Behavior foundation exercises
3. Mental enrichment activities
4. Training tools
5. Behavioral supplement(s) and/or behavioral medication(s) as needed

All the above are important components in every treatment plan.

Following your initial visit, you will receive a visit summary that outlines the treatment plan for your pet. Our team will send your primary veterinarian a copy of the visit summary.

Included with the initial consultation is email follow-up with our team for up to 3 months until the first recheck visit.

Due to the specialized nature of our veterinary behavior practice, we are booked weeks to months in advance.

Recheck Appointments: (For Current Established Patients)

*Please call the office to schedule your pet’s next recheck appointment*

Recheck appointments (45 minutes) are a necessary part of behavior therapy to make positive progress for your pet. Recheck appointments allow our team to evaluate your pet’s response to the current treatment plan and adjust accordingly. Recheck appointments (in-person or over video conference) are typically scheduled every 3 months early in the course of treatment to ensure continued progress. Once your pet’s behavior has stabilized, recheck appointments are scheduled every 6 to 12 months.

Recheck Appointments: (for Non-Current Established Patients)

For Non-Current Established Patients (patients not seen in the past year), the recheck appointment (60 minutes) allows your pet to re-establish care with our team and formulate an updated treatment plan based on your pet’s current behavior profile. Once your pet’s behavior has stabilized, recheck appointments are scheduled every 6 to 12 months.

Our behavioral training techniques are based on science, and we do not advocate or prescribe aversive methods (i.e. shock collars, prong coll ars, correction-based training) to modify behavior.