Have we lost the plot? All the preventative, acute and chronic medical strategies that the practice has to offer will not save a pet if its behaviour is incompatible with society’s expectations

Abstract

Through failing to ensure that owners are capable of maintaining their pet’s emotional welfare, is the veterinary community falling short of their professional obligation to “do none harm”? Owner requirements of relationships with pets are becoming increasingly demanding and similar to that of the human–human bond. Simultaneously, the environment in which pets live is both less comparable to anything that might be considered “normal” for the species yet increasingly likely to involve challenging social and environmental complexity. These mismatches between human expectations and pet behavioural and emotional welfare needs are leading to levels of pet loss (through stress-related illness, euthanasia and relinquishment) that far exceed that for medical issues. This article takes an overview of current in-practice behavioural support and how it can be expanded to better meet the needs of pets and owners, assisting a mutual meeting of expectations.