Treating behavior problems in general practice
The most common behavior problems in dogs are fearful behavior, fear related aggression, generalized and separation anxiety. The most common behavior problems in cats are fearful behavior, fear related aggression and generalized anxiety. With so much to uncover in making these diagnoses, how are general practitioners supposed to diagnose and treat these problems within 15-30 minutes? In this presentation, practitioners will learn the ABCs of identifying and treating simple behavior problems.
This session originally was presented at AVMA Convention 2025 in conjunction with the 40th World Veterinary Association Congress.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
- Create a management and treatment plan for dogs and cats exhibiting fear, aggression or anxiety.
- Create a management and treatment plan for cats with inappropriate elimination.
- Describe behavior modification techniques and the use of psychoactive medications for these specific behavior problems.
| ABOUT THE PRESENTER: Wailani Sung MS, PhD, DVM, DACVB Dr. Wailani Sung is a Board-certified veterinary behaviorist. Dr. Sung obtained her Master’s degree and Doctorate in Psychology with a special interest in animal behavior and Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from The University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine. She achieved Board certification in Veterinary Behavioral Medicine after completing a residency program. Dr. Sung is currently the Senior Director of Animal Admissions and Wellbeing at Joybound People and Pets in Walnut Creek, CA. She currently oversees three programs: the transfer of pets from municipal shelters to Joybound, the assessment and management of the shelter behavior population and the training classes and behavior consultations provided to privately owned pets. Dr. Sung also provides consultations to animal shelters regarding individual shelter pets and evaluations on animal shelter programs. Dr. Sung is a co-author of the book, “From Fearful to Fear Free”, in which she collaborated with America’s veterinarian Dr. Marty Becker, veterinary behavior colleague Dr. Lisa Radosta, and renown trainer, Mikkel Becker. Dr. Sung also co-authored a chapter in “Decoding your Cat”. Dr. Sung has been a contributor to the websites PetCoach, PetMD and Reader’s Digest. Dr. Sung has written chapters for the following veterinary textbooks: Behavior of Exotic Pets; Blackwell's Five-Minute Veterinary Consult Clinical Companion: Canine and Feline Behavior, 2nd Edition; Blackwell’s Five-Minute Veterinary Consult: Canine and Feline: 7th edition; Animal Behavior for Shelter Veterinarian and Staff, 2nd edition; Clinical Handbook of Feline Behavior Medicine. Dr. Sung is a highly sought-after speaker and has presented at the Western Veterinary Conference, MidWest Veterinary Conference, Christian Veterinary Mission Conference, Aggression in Dog Conference 2023, HSUS Expo, Vet Vacation CE, New Mexico Humane Conference, Fear Free Pet Behavior Symposium, as well as other local and state events. Dr. Sung was interviewed on the documentary, Cat Tales by NOVA and on the Netflix documentary, Inside the Mind of a Cat. |
