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From cat anxiety to dog reactivity—and everything in between—I help pets and their people live calmer, happier lives through science-based behavior care as a Board-Certified Veterinary Behaviorist

10/16/2026

This is part three of a series of posts on the cost and benefits of pet parents being in the exam room with their pets. Let's go over two studies looking at whether pet parents being in the room affect the dog’s behavior.

First up, the Stellato study. Thirty-two dogs had an exam. Half had their person in the room. Half didn't.

Here’s what they found:

- Pet parent present- dogs had lower body temperature and vocalized less.
- All dogs showed equal amounts of fear behaviors.

Takeaway- Getting examined at the veterinarian’s office is stressful, duh, regardless of who’s present. When dogs are left with their people, their physiologic stress response is less and they’re less likely to bark and growl.

In the Girault study, 25 dogs were examined once with their person. Once without. What did they find? There was no difference in the stress behaviors, or level of restraint with the pet parent there or not. Again, vet visits and restraint are stressful. We know that.

With the pet parent there, they were more willing to enter the exam room and were more relaxed before the exam.

Dogs who were very fearful (FAS score of 4 or above) or aggressive were excluded from both studies. That's important to note.

Vet visits are stressful, regardless of who’s present, separating pets from their pet parent did not make them easier to handle.

Not every vet clinic has the capacity to keep pet parents in the room with their pets, that is why is it so important to have these conversations with your vet and explain your concerns and then find a way to be with your pet when possible.

References:

Stellato AC, Dewey CE, Widowski TM, Niel L. Evaluation of associations between owner presence and indicators of fear in dogs during routine veterinary examinations. JAVMA 2020;257(10):1031-1040. doi:10.2460/javma.2020.257.10.1031

Girault C, Priymenko N, Helsly M, Duranton C, Gaunet F. Dog behaviours in veterinary consultations: Part I. Vet J 2022;280:105788.

10/14/2026

Part 2: How I handle anxious clients and anxious pets at the vet clinic.

Quick recap of Part 1:

Acknowledge that this is stressful for everybody involved, so you can have empathy.

Explain to the client what you're doing before you do it.

Step 3: Ask for buy-in and give them a chance to opt out.

"We're going to do the physical exam and blood draw here in the room. Are you afraid of needles? Blood?" If so, they are welcome to step out. They can watch through the window. They can go get coffee. Whatever they want.

Or invite them to opt in. "We ask pet parents to participate in some way, and we're going to tell you exactly what we want you to do. Do you feel okay doing that?"

Either way, they're in control. And when people are in control, their anxiety goes down.

Step 4: Outline what's happening and coach them through it.

Give them one clear job. "You're going to hold this food toy filled with Churu and keep it at your dog's nose. Your dog doesn't have to do anything to get the food. You're just making sure it's right there."

Sometimes the job is "talk to your pet in a sweet voice, but don't touch him."

Be very clear.

Then coach in real time while the exam happens. "Move that food toy a little.

Oh, you're petting him, but we really just need you to talk to him. I don't hear you talking! Can you talk sweetly to your dog?"

That keeps the pet parent laser focused on their job. A calmer person at the end of the leash helps make a calmer patient on the table.

Pet parents, you can use this too. Not every clinic is set up for it, and that's okay.

Explain to your vet team that you'd like a job during the exam, or that you'd rather step out for the blood draw. Either choice is a good one.

Save this and stay tuned for Part 3-what does the research tell us about keeping pet parents in the room?

Halloween is absolutely my favorite holiday of all. Yes, that's my family in those pictures. As much as I love it, for m...
10/12/2026

Halloween is absolutely my favorite holiday of all. Yes, that's my family in those pictures.

As much as I love it, for most of our pets it is more trick than treat.

The doorbell/knocks on the door - a major trigger for dogs. Every couple of minutes for the entire night!

People in masks, dressed up, even familiar people can look really scary.

Fearful pets don’t get used to that over the course of the night. Many get more and more worked up as it goes. And a scared dog or cat near an open door is a pet who might bolt into the dark.

Set your dog or cat up to win. Put them in a quiet room away from the front door before trick-or-treating starts. Set up a place in your driveway to give out candy. Organize a trunk or treat for your neighborhood.

Do what you can to keep the chaos away from your dog and cat.

10/09/2026

What do you do when the pet parent is anxious at the vet's office? Part One.

I recently posted about the shame some pet parents feel when they're told their pet does better "in the back." In my 26 years, pets rarely do better in the back. But I covered that in a different post.

A lot of veterinary team members wrote back: "Look, that's what I'm seeing. These people are anxious. Their dogs are anxious too."

I hear you. So here's how I handle it. We do all of our physical exams and blood draws in front of pet parents. I only see anxious and fearful pets, and I've been doing it this way for over 20 years.

This is a series. SAVE all the videos so you can come back to it.

1. Acknowledge what's happening.

Being worried about your pet at the vet's office is normal. When my daughter was little, I always had a little worry going into the pediatrician's office about what might happen or what I might hear. Say it out loud: this can be stressful for the pet parent AND the pet.

2. Tell the pet parent what's going to happen before you do it.

Knowing what's coming next relieves anxiety. My technician might say: "We're going to do the physical exam now. Fluffy is little, so we'll put him on the table, but don't do anything yet. I'll ask you to pick him up and hand him to me butt first. Then you'll pick up this toy and put it right in his face while we do the exam."
The pet parent knows exactly what to expect before it happens.

Steps 3 and 4 are coming in my next posts and then we will review the research on this subject in another post. Follow so you don't miss them.

10/07/2026

Every time I post about behavior medication, the comments roll in. "Why aren't you recommending training?" "You just want to drug dogs!"

Honestly? It makes me laugh. Follow me for a week and you'll see posts about changing the environment, meeting your dog where they are, empathy for pet parents, training, and behavior modification. All the time.

So let's set the record straight. Here's what a veterinary behaviorist actually does:

We practice medicine. About 50% of the dogs and cats who come to see us are sick, and that illness is affecting their behavior. Pain, GI disease, skin disease. We have to know every body system.
We prescribe medication. Animals deserve medicine that helps them feel better. No pet should suffer.

We change the environment. Cheap, easy, and highly effective. Every single patient gets environmental changes.

We prescribe behavior modification. That's the long-term cure. Of course I recommend it!

But here's what I see every day. People are doing a LOT. I'm part of the sandwich generation. We're caring for our parents, our kids, and our kids are moving back home. Not everybody has an hour a day to train their dog or cat. Those pets deserve care too.

Veterinary behaviorists are veterinarians. We're trainers. We prescribe meds. We change the environment. We alleviate suffering in every safe and humane way possible.

And I will never apologize for that.

our dog isn't stubborn. Your trainer is stuck.When a trainer says your dog is "stubborn," "too far gone," or "only liste...
10/05/2026

our dog isn't stubborn. Your trainer is stuck.

When a trainer says your dog is "stubborn," "too far gone," or "only listens for treats," and then reaches for a pinch collar, shock collar, or leash corrections, that usually means one thing: they don't know what to do next.

I get it. Nobody likes admitting they're stuck, especially when a client is paying them. But your dog shouldn't pay for what your trainer doesn't know.

The research is clear, aversive methods make dogs more stressed and are no better than positive reinforcement methods for training dogs. See this link: https://linktr.ee/drradostadogresources

So what can you do?

If a trainer recommends a tool that hurts or scares your dog, kindly explain that you're using reward-based methods only. You can say: "Thanks for your help. We're only using reward-based methods with our dog. If this isn't working, what else can we try?"

If the answer is still a pinch or shock collar, it's time for a new trainer. Talk to your vet. Find a certified positive reinforcement trainer, a certified applied animal behaviorist, or a board-certified veterinary behaviorist (dacvb.org).

The problem isn't your dog. It's the plan.

Save this for the next time someone calls your dog stubborn.

10/02/2026

Va**um and Xanax, Part 4: Timing, Duration, and Body Weight

How long do Va**um and Xanax take to work in dogs? How long do they last? And why do dogs with a little junk in the trunk need to be dosed differently than lean dogs?

This is Part 4 of everything you need to know about Va**um (diazepam) and Xanax (alprazolam).

How long until they work?

Most benzodiazepines, including Va**um and Xanax, take at least an hour to work. Some dogs respond faster, and there is a lot of individual variability. For most dogs, plan on about an hour, closer to an hour and a half. If a storm is coming or you're about to leave, give the medication well before you need it, not when the panic starts.

How long do they last? It depends on your dog and on the medicine and on the way that your dog reacts and metabolizes the medication. Xanax doesn't last as long as Va**um generally in dogs. The right choice depends on how much coverage you need for a storm, a departure, or whatever your dog's trigger is.

Body weight changes things generally in this drug class. Some of the benzodiazepines are stored in fat. As the drug level in the bloodstream drops, the fat releases more of it. In a dog with a little junk in the trunk, you might see the medication last longer than it would in a lean dog.

For example, a lean dog might take alprazolam (Xanax) every six hours, while a dog who is a little overweight takes it every eight hours, because the duration changed. Again, depends on the dog and this is more pronounced with Va**um than Xanax.

If your dog isn't at a lean body weight, talk to your veterinarian about how to adjust the dose. Please don't change the dose on your own.

Save this four-part series so you and your vet can refer back to it. You never know when you'll need it.

09/30/2026

Which dogs probably shouldn't get Va**um or Xanax? Part 3 of everything you need to know about Va**um (diazepam) and Xanax (alprazolam) for dogs.

Aggression. Va**um and Xanax are usually not used as the sole treatment for aggression in dogs. That doesn't mean aggressive dogs never get them. It means that when the goal is to treat aggression itself, a benzodiazepine isn't the drug we reach for on its own.

If your dog is under the care of a veterinary behaviorist, they might be on an antidepressant for aggression and Va**um or Xanax for separation or storms. Those are two different jobs for two different medications.

Liver disease. This is the other group that needs caution. Va**um and Xanax do not hurt the liver in dogs (Va**um can hurt the liver in cats). But the liver has to work to break this class of drugs down. When it breaks them into their pieces and parts, it's usually those pieces and parts that relieve the fear and anxiety.

If the liver isn't working well, it isn't breaking the drug down. Your dog probably won't see the effect you want, and we as doctors won't know how much of the effective drug is actually in the bloodstream.

Not all benzodiazepines are the same. Va**um is heavily metabolized in the liver. Xanax is less. Some other benzodiazepines are even more liver light.

If your dog has liver disease and is on a benzodiazepine, talk to your vet about how that drug is metabolized. Maybe it's the right drug for your dog. Maybe your dog needs a different one.

Not sure where to start? Talk to your veterinarian or a board-certified veterinary behaviorist.

One more post in this series is coming. Follow so you don't miss it.

Can cow placenta extract keep your dog's brain young??88 client-owned dogs, randomized 1:1- either CPE (cow placenta ext...
09/28/2026

Can cow placenta extract keep your dog's brain young??

88 client-owned dogs, randomized 1:1- either CPE (cow placenta extract) or placebo, double-blinded.

Six months of twice-daily dosing.

Dogs with systemic disease or tumors were excluded after exam, CBC, and chemistry, and so were dogs on anxiolytics, neuroprotective drugs, or antioxidant supplements in the prior 3 months.

The outcome was the CSLB (Canine Social and Learning Behavior) survey. Success was defined as a 10% or greater drop in score.

77.8% of CPE dogs met it, compared to 9.3% of placebo dogs. Cohen's d at 6 months was -1.17. CBC and chemistry were unchanged. Serum MDA (a marker of oxidative stress) fell, and GSH and GSH-Px (antioxidant activity) rose. SOD, catalase, and T-AOC did not change.

Pretty promising, right?

Maybe, it's a start.

The outcome is entirely owner-reported. This is an important measurement because we treat the signs that pet parents report, but another way to measure behavior is to measure learning and memory through tasks. That may be a more objective measurement for the next study.

The Dog Aging Project uses a CSLB score of 50 as the threshold for CCD. In this study, the dogs averaged in the low 40s. These are mostly dogs with mild signs, not dogs with established CCD. That may be exactly where an antioxidant approach makes the most sense, but it limits what we can say to clients whose dogs are further along.

And there is currently no third-party-verified, safe supplement for dogs on the market that I would recommend.

It's a good start and I am excited to see what happens in this area next.

Full reference is on the last slide of the carousel.

09/25/2026

Part 2 of the Va**um and Xanax Series

Why are these medications used in the first place in behavioral medicine? Why is your pet on them? Why would a doctor prescribe them?

Va**um and Xanax are used for fear, anxiety, stress and panic primarily. They also make dogs hungry and more social or outgoing. That can be a good thing or not such a good thing depending on the dog's personality.

Do they damage the kidneys or liver? Can the pet be on them long term? Xanax and Va**um are to different extents metabolized in the liver, but they don't damage the liver (more on that in Part 3 on Tuesday).

Pets can be on them long term. If we need to wean them off we can do so (go back to the Part 1 video for more on how to do that).

Stay tuned for Part 3 on Tuesday.

Remember that medications assist in the treatment of behavior problems as part of a complete plan.

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