Using psychopharmacology in the treatment of problem behaviours in dogs and cats

Behavioural medication is certainly not necessary or appropriate for every animal showing problem behaviour. Some behaviours perceived to be problematic by owners, such as chasing, digging and marking-related behaviours such as cats scratching furniture, can be normal species-specific behaviours associated with a positive emotional response. These behaviours will generally respond well to management and the provision of more appropriate outlets for these behaviours (Overall, 2013). Even where a problem behaviour is associated with distress or a negative emotional response, if the context and triggers are predictable and avoidable an animal may also respond to environmental management and behavioural modification, without medication.

Medication is most likely to be useful in cases where:

Medical problems are a very common cause of behaviour changes in dogs and cats (Camps et al, 2019) and it is important to identify or rule this out as a cause of problem behaviour. For example. pain can cause or exacerbate a wide variety of problem behaviours including aggression, abnormal repetitive behaviours, anxiety and fearfulness (Mills et al, 2020). In many cases, a change in behaviour may be the only obvious sign of an underlying medical problem. It is therefore essential that any animal presenting with a new problem behaviour, or a change in an existing problem behaviour, receives a thorough health check before referral to a behaviourist, and before the use of behavioural medication is considered. This is important primarily to ensure the welfare of the patient, as starting behavioural medication may delay their access to more appropriate treatments such as pain relief. In addition, behavioural therapy is less likely to be effective if an underlying, undiagnosed medical condition is present. It is also important to rule out the presence of medical conditions that might cause particular drugs to be contraindicated, especially before the use of longer-term medication. The presence of a medical condition does not necessarily preclude the use of behaviourally-active medication, but it is important that any medical condition that could be contributing to a problem behaviour is recognised and addressed before treatment with behaviourally-active medication is begun.