Veterinary Behavior with Dr. Megan Petroff

Veterinary Behavior with Dr. Megan Petroff Struggling with fear, anxiety, or aggression? I offer kind, science-based behavior care to help pets.

09/05/2026

Five things I would never do as a residency-trained behavior vet, with little to no explanation. Let me know if you guys agree or disagree, or want me to explain šŸ‘‡

09/04/2026

Check out the practical tips at the end for how you can try and improve your communication, and let me know if you guys want to see videos of the body language I mentioned.

Send this to a friend with a cat so they know and follow for more behavior and body language tips.

09/04/2026

Behavior Cases 101: Melatonin šŸŒ™šŸ¾

Melatonin gets recommended all the time for anxious petsā€”but what does the evidence actually say?

The research for behavior is surprisingly limited. There are a few situations where melatonin has been studied or incorporated into treatment protocols, but we donā€™t have strong evidence supporting it as a stand-alone treatment for anxiety in dogs or cats.

šŸ’Š I included the dosing information I use at the end of the video, so save this one for later!

Have you tried melatonin for your pet? Tell us about your experience below šŸ‘€

09/03/2026

Your cat is not spiteful! chances are you're missing something in their environment or their physical health. if you've seen a litter box, change. The best person to help you is your veterinarian, and if they can't figure it out, you should seek referral to a veterinary behaviorist.

Let me know all of your litter box questions in the comments šŸ‘‡

Some of my favorite pairings!Do you agree with all of them?
09/03/2026

Some of my favorite pairings!

Do you agree with all of them?

09/03/2026

Enrichment is simply giving cats opportunities to perform normal behaviorsā€”climbing, scratching, hunting, foraging, exploring, hiding, playing and watching the world around them. And it really doesnā€™t have to be complicated.

Save this list of easy ways to add more enrichment to your catā€™s day:

šŸ“Feed your cat out of food puzzle toys- check out www.foodpuzzlesforcats.com for amazing options that you can purchase or DIY. Try puzzle feeders, treat balls, lick mats, snuffle mats, or simply hide small portions of food around the house.

šŸæļø Window perch: Put a bed, hammock or cat tree in front of the window with the most wildlife activity.

šŸ“ŗ Cat TV: Try bird, squirrel or mouse videosā€”especially if your cat doesnā€™t have an interesting window view.

šŸŖ¶ Wand toy sessions: Even 5ā€“10 minutes of stalking, chasing and pouncing can provide an outlet for hunting behavior. Let them actually ā€œcatchā€ the toy!

šŸ§— Think vertically: Cat trees are great, but window hammocks, shelves and furniture can all create climbing and resting opportunities
šŸŖµ Offer different scratching options: Try both horizontal AND vertical scratchers and experiment with cardboard, sisal and other textures.

šŸ“¦ Use what you already have: Cardboard boxes, packing paper and paper bags with the handles removed can become places to hide and explore.

šŸ§ø Rotate toys: Instead of leaving 20 toys out permanently, keep most of them put away and rotate a few at a time to maintain novelty.

šŸŒæ Bring safe novelty inside: Cat grass, silvervine, catnip, new scents or even a box from somewhere new can give them something different to investigate.

And remember: enrichment is only enriching if your cat actually enjoys it. You donā€™t need an elaborate setup or hundreds of dollars of cat furniture. Sometimes enrichment really is just a comfortable place to sit and a squirrel doing something interesting outside.
Save this and pick 2ā€“3 things to try with your cat this week. šŸ¾

08/31/2026

Behavior Cases 101: Calming Supplements šŸ§ šŸ¾

The calming supplements I reach for most often are ones containing L-theanine, Ī±-casozepine, or Calming Care (Bifidobacterium longum BL999).

Some products I commonly use:
ā€¢ Solliquin or Anxitaneā€” contains L-theanine
ā€¢ Zylkene ā€” contains Ī±-casozepine
ā€¢ Purina Calming Care ā€” probiotic supplement

The doses I use are often higher than what is recommended on the product label based off of clinical experience, textbooks, and studies. Save this so you can refer back to these:
šŸ’Š L-theanine: 5ā€“10 mg/kg once to twice daily
šŸ’Š Ī±-casozepine (Zylkene): 15ā€“30 mg/kg once daily

šŸ„› Bonus: Zylkeneā€™s Ī±-casozepine is derived from hydrolyzed bovine casein (milk protein) and the product is lactose-free, which can make it a useful option when dietary sensitivities are a consideration.

I typically start toward the lower end for 1ā€“2 weeks, then increase if needed before deciding whether a supplement is helping.

Calming Care: Give daily and allow up to 2 months to assess the full effect.

Remember: supplements can be one piece of a comprehensive behavior treatment plan, but they arenā€™t a replacement for appropriate management, behavior modification, or medication when medication is indicated.

What should we cover next before we get into medications: pheromone therapy or CBD?

08/28/2026

Behavior medication mythsā€”busted. šŸ’ŠšŸ¾

Behavior meds shouldnā€™t just sedate your pet, they shouldnā€™t change their personality, they arenā€™t always lifelong, and thereā€™s no evidence that appropriately used behavior medication shortens a petā€™s lifespan.

Tomorrow in Behavior Cases 101: supplementsā€”which ones actually have evidence? šŸ‘€

08/27/2026

We would never make a patient fail physical therapy before weā€™re willing to prescribe pain medicationā€”so why are we doing that with behavior meds?

Behavior medication isnā€™t a ā€œlast resort,ā€ and our patients shouldnā€™t have to fail behavior modification before we consider it.

In dogs with separation anxiety, adding clomipramine to behavior modification helped improve several major clinical signs at least 3Ɨ faster than behavior modification alone. And in another randomized controlled trial, after 8 weeks, 72% of dogs receiving fluoxetine + behavior modification improved compared with 50% receiving behavior modification alone.

Medication doesnā€™t replace behavior modification. It can help our patients get to a place where they can actually learn and make progress- faster than without it.

References:
King JN, Simpson BS, Overall KL, et al. Treatment of separation anxiety in dogs with clomipramine: results from a prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, multicenter clinical trial. Applied Animal Behaviour Science. 2000;67(4):255ā€“275.

Simpson BS, Landsberg GM, Reisner IR, et al. Effects of Reconcile (fluoxetine) chewable tablets plus behavior management for canine separation anxiety. Veterinary Therapeutics. 2007;8(1):18ā€“31.

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