What to Expect at Your Appointment
A behavioural medicine consultation is a thorough, collaborative process - tailored to the inividual pet’s, and family’s, needs. Here's what the journey looks like from start to finish.
Before your appointment
Your history form is completed as the first part of the booking process. It covers your pet's full background - medical history, daily routine, triggers, and the specific behaviours you're concerned about. The more detail you include, the more Dr. Squair can cover at your appointment.
Once your form is submitted, you will have access to the appointment calendar and schedule an appointment time that works best for you. We will contact your veterinary clinic directly to request your pet's medical records. You don't need to arrange this yourself.
If you have video of the concerning behaviour, you can upload it through the booking form, send it via email, or bring it on your phone. Please do not provoke aggression to capture it on video - the safety of you and your pet is most important.
During your appointment
Dr. Squair will review the history you submitted, ask additional questions, and spend time assessing your pet's body language and how they interact with their environment and the people within it. She will work through a diagnosis(es) with you, discuss safety considerations, and develop a management and behaviour modification plan tailored to your pet and your household.
Where appropriate, she will also discuss whether medication may be a helpful part of the treatment plan, and will address any medical factors that could be contributing to the behaviour.
Dr. Squair will not attempt to provoke or trigger aggressive/reactive behaviour during the appointment. Our priority is always you and your pet's comfort and safety, and we hope to make the appointment as comfortable as possible for everyone present.
After your appointment
Immediately after the appointment, you will go home with a preliminary medication summary (if prescribed), and associated prescription(s) to fill via your preferred pharmacy*. You will receive a written visit summary within 7-10 days of the initial appointment outlining the diagnosis(es), recommendations, and next steps - something you can refer back to as you work through it at home. A copy is also shared with your primary care veterinarian.
Ongoing email support is included with every initial consultation to help you adapt the plan as things progress. Follow-up Zoom appointments and an annual in-clinic recheck are available and recommended to provide continued guidance over time.
*Within behavioural medications, many of the medications utilized are human formulations that can be filled at any human pharmacy. There are some veterinary specific medications that can be filled via online pet pharmacies (e.g. Pets Drug Mart), Costco (which carries veterinary formulations), or the prescription can be sent to your family veterinary clinic to be filled there.
Your commitment to the process
Behavioural change takes time, consistency, and patience. Dr. Squair will support you every step of the way - but lasting improvement depends on working through the plan together. Every pet responds differently, and the treatment plan may need adjustment as you go. That's what the follow-up care is for.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Your fee covers the appointment itself, a written treatment plan, a copy sent to your primary care veterinarian, and ongoing email support.
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A formal referral from your veterinarian is not required, and you're welcome to book directly. We do encourage you to let your regular vet know you're seeking specialist care, and we'll send them a copy of the consultation report so everyone stays informed.
For out of province telemedicine appointments, where care remains with your primary veterinarian, referral and direct collaboration with your veterinarian is required to ensure treatment can be conducted.
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No - a detailed history and discussion of behaviour patterns, combined with assessing your pet's body language during the appointment, is sufficient for a clinical diagnosis. Video is helpful if you have it, but please never provoke aggression or reactivity in order to record it.
During the appointment, safety is always the priority - for your pet and for everyone present. Dr. Squair will not attempt to provoke aggressive or reactive behaviour. Our goal is for every pet (and their people) to feel as safe and comfortable as possible during their visit. -
Your history form is completed at booking, and your consent and policy forms are signed shortly after (sent to you via email), before your appointment. We recommend that for the appointments, you and your pet, plus any other involved family members or caregivers are present.
We will have a water dish, treats, and a bed available for your pet during the appointment. However, we also recommend that you bring your pet’s favourite treats, toys, and other items that you think would provide comfort for your pet.
Please also bring any special equipment that you are using for training (e.g. basket muzzle).
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For the initial history form and booking, complete it for the pet you feel has the most significant behavioural concerns, or the one you suspect is driving the conflict. Be aware that in many cases of inter-dog or inter-cat conflict, both animals have contributing behavioural and/or medical factors.
When you select that more than one pet within the household is involved, you will then have a second history form sent to you via email following submission and scheduling of the first to fill out and send before the appointment (at least 72 hrs prior).
Please note that due to space, for inter-dog aggression cases where we are seeing two more more dogs, we may elect to have the initial 60-90 min appointment be online followed by a 15 min in-clinic observation appointment with each dog to establish care. This helps to prioritize safety and comfort for the pets and people, while still allowing for comprehensive assessment and care.
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A $200 deposit is required to confirm your booking for dog initial appointments, and $150 for cat initial appointments.
Cancellations with more than 72 hours notice receive a full refund. Cancellations with less than 72 hrs notice forfeit the deposit - as a one-time courtesy, clients who haven't previously cancelled late may apply the deposit to a future appointment if they contact us before their scheduled time. No-shows forfeit the deposit and a new deposit is required to rebook.
We understand that there are sometimes unforeseen illness and circumstances that occur - please reach out via email and we can assist rescheduling options.
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Before your appointment, Dr. Squair reviews your pet's full history, medical records, and the details you've provided in the intake form. That preparation happens before you walk in the door - so your appointment time is spent on assessment and planning, not catching up.
As a solo practice, each appointment slot represents a significant block of time set aside for your pet. The deposit helps ensure that time is held for pets and families who are ready to move forward. We know that paying in advance is a meaningful commitment, and we appreciate and value your trust.
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No - please don't give up. Many of the pets we see have been through multiple training programs, one-on-one sessions with trainers, and medications prescribed by their regular vet. Specialist evaluation often opens up new options: refining a previous approach, trying a different medication strategy, identifying an underlying medical factor that was missed, or addressing a barrier that made previous recommendations difficult to implement. A thorough assessment is the starting point.