CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — The Atlantic Veterinary College has expanded the veterinary medical services it offers to include behaviour medicine.
Leading the new service is Dr. Karen Overall, associate professor of behaviour medicine at AVC.
Overall said the first step in understanding behaviour is to understand signaling and communication.
“We are teaching this to vet students, residents and interns. Once we are no longer lost in translation and understand the behaviour of another species from their viewpoint, we can provide them with excellent care and preserve their physical and mental health,” she said. “When we act in this scientifically rooted manner, everyone’s emotional health is valued, and welfare concerns diminish.”
Overall will be assisted by resident Dr. Camille Squair, whose residency is one of only a handful of conforming residencies worldwide approved by the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists and the only one in Canada. Her master’s degree and residency research will focus on measuring of distress and anxiety in dogs in veterinary hospitals.
The behaviour medicine service is offered primarily for dogs, cats and horses but will cover other animals as well. Those wishing to access the service may ask their veterinarian for a referral.
They can also send an email to [email protected] or call the AVC Veterinary Teaching Hospital at 902-566-0950 to set up an appointment.
