Pet of the month
Meet Max
AVBS Pet of the month - September
Why pet of the month?
Max at a recent consult greeted Dr Tracey in a friendly way and was so relaxed. Max interacted with Tracey during the consult and he was the best we have seen him
Max 6 years old, has been a patient since 2015. Max has an anxiety disorder with a problem list including reactivity towards unfamiliar people and dogs, and hyperarousal in certain situations
With anti anxiety medication, careful management and behaviour modification, Max now enjoys camping trips and being with his owners. His owners have done such a great job with Max
Congratulations Max 🐾
Meet Nylah
Stunning Nylah is a 5 year old Domestic Short haired cat.
Why pet of the month?
Nylah can walk up to a stranger and smooch, remain calm without running off or scratching her owners, and has become a confident and loving cat.....even a little show off.
Seven months ago, Nylah was anxious about everything and quite aggressive towards her owner and other family cat. Nylah was also fearful of unfamiliar people and objects and loud noises and would run away and hide.
Well done Nylah and her owners
"thank you, she absolutely loves the toys (as does her brother!)
Meet Patch
Pet of the month for July 2019
Gorgeous Patch is a 2.5 year old 'special edition' American staffy who has been a patient for 14 months.
Why pet of the month?
Because she is making great progress, despite a slight setback due to a thunder storm.
Patch is going well overall and is trying really hard
Her owner Wendy is just so adaptable to suggestions regarding Patch and is doing a wonderful job.
Well done Patch and Wendy!
A message from Wendy:
" Patch has come along in leaps and bounds. Thank you everyone at AVBS "
Enjoy your goodie bag Patch ❣
Meet Trev
Pet of the month for June
Trev's story and progress is amazing in such a short space of time.
Trev is 4.5 year old Greyhound who was adopted at 2 years of age. He first presented at AVBS in November 2019. He was referred due to injuries resulting from his panic attacks. He had one episode where he pulled a heavy iron gate off its rollers with his teeth, another where he has chewed window frames. The final attempt before our initial visit resulted in poor Trev having lacerations on 3 legs, bruising over his chest and grazes over his tummy. Trev was at the point where he avoided going outside altogether, and spent the majority of his day 'shut down' and hiding in his owners bedroom. We established that Trev had a phobia of the backyard - he avoided it at all costs, and if alone in the backyard did anything to escape from it, to the point of hurting himself.
Having a dog like Trev experiencing these types of severe panic attacks is so stressful, but most of all it became such a poor quality of life for Trev.
Six months later, Trev visited us in the clinic and brought a massive smile to all of our faces. When Dr Tracey greeted him in reception - he was 'happy' and not the 'shut down' dog we saw 6 months ago. He even did a couple of zoomies in the reception in excitement! If anyone has ever seen a lanky greyhound doing zoomies - well it will put a smile on anyone's face
Meet Pip
Pet of the month for July
Congratulations Pip!
Pip is a kelpie who is almost 7 years old. She has been a patient of AVBS since 2014 and has come such a huge way. She was adopted as a rescue dog when she was just under 12 months of age - she had been collected as a stray.
Initially Pip was on high alert constantly, to the point she was unable to rest, or even sleep at nights. She was very destructive and hyperaroused towards numerous triggers. Yes she is a Kelpie who is energetic - however her behaviour was not neurotypical of a Kelpie - her behaviour was abnormal and she was diagnosed with a mental health disorder. Can you imagine being in 'emergency mode' 24/7??? Exhausting?!?
Pip has come along leaps and bounds and has been stable for the last few years. Amazingly though, she just keeps continuing to get better every 6 months that we see her - it is lovely to see her progressing still.
Pip would not be where she is without such a dedicated and committed owner who absolutely adores her.
We look forward to continuing to see Pip thrive and be the best dog she can be!!!
Meet Roger
Pet of the month for August
Well it is an absolute honour to give this gorgeous man "Roger" the AVBS pet of the month. The dedication and commitment from his owners has allowed Roger to cope and tolerate his triggers sooo much better. Is Roger fixed? No, he isn't a broken machine. Roger has emotions and they can be extremely heightened when exposed to things he is unsure of. Roger is special, and will require management of his environment, modification of his behaviour and monitoring of his medication, perhaps even for the rest of his life. But for now, Roger is in a great and happy place.
Well done Roger.
Meet Oscar
Pet of the month September
I am excited to announce “Oscar” as AVBS pet of the month. Oscar is a long term patient of AVBS who came to us back in 2016 with a long list of behaviour concerns and diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. With Dr Tracey Henderson's expertise, treatment and behaviour modification Oscar has been in a stable place since 2018.AVBS received a call from Oscars owner with the devastating news that Oscars beloved friend Harry had unexpectedly passed away. Oscar was in a state of mourning. He was very much bonded with Harry and relied on Harry for direction and general confidence. Without his best friend, Oscar had become withdrawn and was unable to cope in his normal day to day activities. Leaving the property or even hopping in the car was now a struggle for Oscar. AVBS behaviour coach and trainer went to visit Oscar to assess and assist Oscars owner with a management plan in making Oscars life predictable and safe again. There were concerns of Oscar further deteriorating behaviourally. With Oscars owners dedication and commitment, Oscar is now living life to his fullest. Oscar has found a new love for training! He has an endless supply of enrichment toys, something that he was never able to enjoy with his brother. He thrives with problem solving activities and foraging games. Oscar and his owners have blossomed and the bond is ever so heart warming. Congratulations Oscar, we are proud of you!
Meet Beau
Beau is a 5 1/2 year old Australian Shepherd. He has been an AVBS patient since late 2016. Beau has a few problems on his list, but the biggest problem for him and his owners were separation anxiety and barking. Before coming to AVBS Beau visited a balanced trainer, who taught his owners to yank on his collar and throw chains on the ground when barking. This only escalated Beau's anxiety levels and did not improve his problems. Beau's neighbours complained about his barking, which made this quite stressful for everyone. Beau barked almost all day when he was alone (despite having his doggy friend Turbo with him). He had been destructive when alone also and did some interior redecorating. Beau did not respond to medications quickly - by the 3rd type of medication we started to see improvement with his behaviour - this took almost 8 months to find the medication that helped him. Since then we have gradually tweaked the dose and combination and he has continually improved. He came in to see Dr Tracey in this month - and he is doing so well. He is now chilled at home when alone, no longer redecorating, and is just a happy little bloke. He is continually improving. Well done to Beau and his very dedicated owners!
Well done Beau!
Image Gallery
Here are photos of some of our behaviour cases.
