Veterinary Behavior

Right now, work with Dr. Sirois is limited to Every Dog behavior clients who are already working with one of our behavior consultants on a training plan. 

Dr. Sirois is available for fear, anxiety, and aggression cases. That may include everything from noise phobias, compulsive behaviors, aggression in a variety of situations, to phobias. At this time Dr. Sirois is NOT taking separation anxiety cases.

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Dr. Sirois will NOT provide any general veterinary services such as vaccinations, sick visits, etc.

First, we’ll start with an hour-long, in person consultation. In this session Dr. Sirois will go over your dog’s full medical history, focusing on any potential issues that might be causing or contributing to behavior problems. Depending on your dog’s level of comfort with strangers, she may do a hands-on exam or ask to watch your dog move, walk, or run to see their gait. She’ll make some recommendations including supplements or pharmaceutical options to help your dog feel less anxious. Please note that adjustments can be made for pets that would be severely distressed seeing a stranger or being somewhere new for a full hour. 

From there, you’ll set up regular short follow ups depending on your pet’s specific plan (typically every month at first or several months later on) to make sure the medications or supplements are working as expected and to make changes as needed.

During this time, you’ll keep working with your Every Dog behavior consultant on all of the training and behavior management. They will be in communication with Dr. Sirois as needed so everyone is fully informed on your pet’s progress. 

If Dr. Sirois prescribes medications you’ll be able to order them through your own pharmacy (most through human pharmacies like HEB) or an online one. And if we need other testing or medical support (bloodwork, x-rays, etc) Dr. Sirois will send all of those recommendations to your primary care veterinarian. She will be communicating with your primary care vet as needed.

*We do not offer any general practice or emergency veterinary care, including vaccinations, emergency, or sick visits. 

A Veterinary Behaviorist (DACVB) is a board-certified veterinarian who specializes in behavior. A more accurate term would be a veterinary psychiatrist. Just like a Veterinary Oncologist or Neurologist, Veterinary Behaviorists are the experts in their area. Veterinary Behaviorists complete at least three years of residency (training and case supervision) with an established Veterinary Behaviorist, and complete a rigorous 2-day Board Examination. While Dr. Sirois is not a Veterinary Behaviorist (she hasn’t taken her Board Exam), she is “residency trained” and has the experience of almost a decade of treating mental health concerns in dogs and cats.

Primary care veterinarians are responsible for knowledge of all body systems and conditions that impact them. The scope is very broad and growing all the time as medicine progresses! Specialty veterinarians widen the scope of care that can be provided for your pets, by narrowing that focus and cultivating a deep knowledge in a specific area. While some primary care veterinarians have a special interest in behavior (psychiatry), they may not have much experience treating difficult cases.

That’s why working with a residency trained behavior vet is a great idea: they have years of experience working with pets with moderate and severe behavioral issues, and stay up-to-date on current research on treatment methods. This makes them a great part of a team alongside a certified behavior consultant! Behavior medicine is a field that is growing rapidly, so focusing on it specifically allows them to target new areas as they are discovered. A residency trained behavior vet is still a veterinarian, and is able to look at your dog’s entire health to guide treatment both from your behavior consultant and your primary care veterinarian. 

If you CANNOT afford the cost of a veterinary behavior consultation, please reach out to your behavior consultant for information on financial assistance. This program is not eligible for our standard financial assistance codes, but we are here to help!

All veterinary behavior work will start with a 60-minute in-person consultation. This visit will discuss your dog’s health and potential factors influencing their behaviors. It will be focused on identifying potential diagnostics needed for underlying pain or discomfort as well as potential behavioral medications to improve behavior issues. 

The consult will NOT include general management or training recommendations, which will come directly from our behavior consulting team. These sessions will NOT include diagnostics, and may not include a hands-on examination depending on the behavior of the dog. We can refer you to your regular veterinarian or a specialist for any diagnostics.

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If you’ve already done your Veterinary Behavior Consultation, we recommend a recheck/follow up every 3 months (during the first year) and at least every 6 months on an ongoing basis. We offer 20-minute virtual follow up visits or 30-minute in-person follow up visits. You'll be able to discuss the best option with Dr. Sirois!

The general answer is yes. A complete blood count (CBC), chemistry panel, and urinalysis are recommended baseline labwork. This is helpful to assess your pet’s health and as a baseline prior to starting any medications or supplements. In some cases, Dr. Sirois may recommend additional labwork for your pet based on their history. Your primary care veterinarian can contact her with any questions about what labwork to run beforehand, if they are unsure. Labwork is not a requirement prior to the appointment, however. If the process of getting labwork is stressful or dangerous for your pet or the vet team, please hold off. Dr. Sirois will be able to help guide you and your vet through the process to get the labwork done. 

That depends on your dog and their stress level. Dr. Sirois always wants to perform a thorough examination of her patients when possible. She also knows that the first visit can set the tone for the long term relationship with you and your dog. Observation of your dog’s movement and behavior during the appointment provides a lot of information as well. If your dog can be examined safely and with minimal stress during the appointment, then she will do that. If not, then she will hold off and revisit this at a recheck appointment if needed. She also works closely with your primary care veterinarian to garner that information. If an exam is performed, then you will be present with your dog the entire time. 

No. Dr. Sirois approaches your dog with a holistic perspective, looking at the entire picture. When medication is appropriate, she will discuss it. That might be for short term situations, or more long term support. Sometimes recommendations include supplements (preference always to supplements with research studies supporting them) or other treatment modalities like acupuncture or rehab. Dr. Sirois will present options, discuss the pros and cons of each, and you will decide on treatment together. Her approach involves the belief that the use of medication is not a last resort, and is not intended to simply ‘drug’ your dog. 

No. Dr. Sirois evaluates your entire pet and will discuss other medications as appropriate. Some may require follow up testing with your primary care vet, others may be a short term trial to see how your pet responds. This can help guide further treatment and assess whether underlying conditions such as pain or gastrointestinal discomfort may be present.