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Home Behavior Services

Where to Find Us

2 Wednesdays per month: Veterinary Specialty Center

Tuesdays and alternate Wednesdays: Elmhurst Animal Hospital 

You can also check out the Appointment Calendar on this web site

(Click on "Locations" for info on each location)

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Behavior Services

The behavior clinic's mission is to diagnose and treat common behavioral problems in companion animals. These would include:

 

  • Aggression/Anxiety Disorders
  • Elimination Disorders
  • Phobias and Fears
  • Sterotypic/Compulsive Behaviors

Diagnosis is based on:

  • History/Interview
  • Physical Examination
  • Laboratory Evaluation

A behavior questionnaire is sent to the pet owner (or downloaded from this site) and a veterinary history form forwarded to the veterinarian. These are then returned to our hospital for evaluation prior to the scheduled consult (the owner can contact us at any stage to schedule the appointment).

The initial consult can last from 1-2 hours. Follow ups are typically 1 hour in duration.


Therapy of behavior disorders can be complex and time consuming for the owners and the patient, so a commitment to the pet is essential to increase the likelihood of success.


Fees:
Initial Consultation Fee: $398 and includes the consult,a written report, 2 months of telephone follow up and reporting to your veterinarian.
Charges for lab work and medication are additional


Follow-Up Consultation Fee: $175 and includes 1 hour consultation, written report, 2 months of telephone follow up and reporting to your veterinarian.

Location:
Appointments are seen at one of two locations:


Elmhurst - Located on Grand Ave. in the Elmhurst Animal Hospital on 111 W. Grand Ave, Bensenville, IL. 60126 Call us at 630-231-1544 to make an appointment.
Buffalo Grove - At the offices of the Veterinary Specialty Clinic, 1515 Busch Pkwy. Call 630-231-1544 or 847-459-7535 and we will return your call.


Initial Consults last 1-2 hours with follow up visits lasting 1 hour each (the need for follow up visits vary from case to case).


Charges for Lab Work, Behavior Equipment and Medication (if needed) are additional

Non-Behavioral procedures will be directed back to the referring veterinarian.

Follow up letters will be sent promptly to the referring hospital 

 

Animal News

animal behavior news from mongabay.com
  • Fear and conservation
    How does fear shape the behavior and conservation of deer, moose and antelope, not to mention carnivores such as wolves, bears, and even tigers? What is the natural state of wildlife, and how do animals know or learn which species to ignore or fear? Should we reintroduce predators to former habitats, even though the prey animals may be unprepared for their return?
  • Why do different species of bird lay different numbers of eggs?
    Clutch size varies greatly between bird species. Researchers now have a better idea why. Analyzing data on clutch size, biology, and habitat for 5,290 species of birds, a team of biologists — Walter Jetz (UC San Diego), Cagan H. Sekercioglu (Stanford University), and Katrin Böhning-Gaese (Johannes Gutenberg-Universität) — developed a model to predict variations in the number of eggs a species lays. They found clutch sizes are consistently largest in cavity nesters and in species occupying seasonal environments. The findings add depth and complexity to previous research that has shown short-lived species — ones that face high predation or have low survival rates among offspring — tend to lay more eggs than longer-lived species, which invest more resources in raising their offspring.
  • Insect intelligence: paper wasps display strong long-term memory
    A recent study in Current Biology finds that paper wasps are capable of remembering rivals a week after initially meeting. As a highly social insect, the discovery proves that the paper wasps' social interactions are based on applied memory rather than simple instinct. The finding overturns many ideas about the intelligence of insects.
  • Mediterranean bluefin tuna originate in the Gulf of Mexico
    Researchers have discovered a previously unknown migratory route for the northern bluefin tuna, proving for the first time that the species' Mediterranean and North American subpopulations interact. According to the paper published in Science the two groups meet as juveniles then return to their birthplace to spawn. For a critically-endangered species that is still heavily fished, the new finding has large conservation and management implications.
  • For Australian beetles bigger is better; while American beetles don't care about size
    Researchers have discovered a dung beetle that may be evolving into separate species in a few decades rather than thousands or millions of years. Separated geographically, sub-populations of the species show large differences in the size of their genitalia and horns. Such distinctions could create new species in a short time, because beetles with largely different genitalia cannot successfully mate.
  • When in season, wolves choose salmon over deer
    The popular image of hunting wolves is a pack bearing down on a deer, working in concert to make the kill. However, new research has discovered that when available, wolves largely forgo hoofed mammals for salmon.