RX for Problem Pets. Veterinary research on pet behavior, University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine. People should not expect the animal will take a pill and be perfect. That's not true of humans or of animals.
Behaviorists are often a last resort for owners of problem pets.
Some 60 percent to 70 percent of the animals referred to her wind up on drugs, because by the time she sees them, all other treatments have been exhausted. Since psychotropic drugs can have side effects, she consults with the owners about potential risks and benefits before prescribing them. The Siberian Husky that digs out of its enclosure to roam the neighborhood won't be helped by drugs, and avoiding toilet accidents in a household with five cats may be more a matter of providing several litter boxes than dispensing medication. People and pets conflict when the people want different behavior than the animal can give. The owners may have selected the wrong pet for their lifestyle, so the animal may not be at fault, she said.