Veterinary Behavior at Illinois
Please note: The Veterinary Behavior at Illinois practice closed on December 28, 2018
If you are seeking treatment by a veterinary behavior specialist, please visit the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists website to find one in your area.
Learn More about Behavior Issues
The following resources related to veterinary behavior were compiled by Dr. Kelly Ballantyne during her years on faculty at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine.
Veterinary Behavior Organizations
Training
- How to Choose a Trainer (American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior)
- Karen Pryor Academy
Safety and Dog Bite Prevention
Articles and Videos by Dr. Ballantyne
2018
- Cat Tail Language: What Your Cat’s Tail Is Telling You
- Would Your Cat Choose You Over Its Food?
- Cat Love Bites: What Do They Mean?
- Why Your Dog Freaks Out During Thunderstorms—And What to Do
- Healing Emotional Trauma in Pets
- Provide Resources for Cats: Pillar 2 of a Healthy Environment
- The Signs of an Annoyed Cat and What Annoys Cats the Most
2017
- Safe Spaces for Cats: Pillar 1 of a Healthy Environment
- These 5 Pillars Ensure a Healthy Environment for Cats
- Scruffing a Cat — Why You Shouldn’t Do It and How to Restrain a Cat the Right Way
- Dogs in Overdrive: When noise sends a dog into frenzied or frozen panic, veterinary behaviorists have a range of remedies
- Decoding Your Dog’s Excessive Barking
- Behavior Case Triage
- Dominance Is Not the Answer
2016
- Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome in Senior Pets Similar to Alzheimer’s
- Is Your Pet Just ‘Getting Old’?
- How to better understand what our dogs are trying to tell us (podcast interview from WILL-AM “The 21st”)
- Consider Trainers to Teach Clients Basic Procedures
- Podcast interview: WBEZ Chicago “Working Shift: Veterinary Behaviorist”
- VIDEO: “Tips for Your Dog This Summer” on WCIU
- Help Your Noise-Averse Dogs through Thunder and Fireworks Season
- Channel Pet’s Need to Chew and Scratch
2015
- Seek Help to Address Aggression in Pets
- Accidents Happen, Part 1: What to Do If Your Dog Soils the House
- Accidents Happen, Part 2: What to Do If Your Cat Goes Outside the Box
- Safe, Stress-Free Travel with Pets
- Lowering the ‘Boom’: Reducing Pets’ Noise Sensitivities
- Experiences of Veterinarians in Clinical Behavior Practice: A Mixed-Methods Study
- Letter to Veterinary Medicine: Behavior Should Be Strongly Considered in Curriculum for Veterinary Students
2014
2013
- Context Is Critical When Treating Anxiety in Dogs
- Basic Training: Start with the Right Equipment and Attitude
- Compulsive Disorders: Have You Considered GI Involvement?
2012
- Cats’ Low-Stress Vet Visits Begin at Home
- VIDEO: “Ready…Set…for Groomer and Vet!” on WGN
- VIDEO: “Training to Make Vet Visits Less Stressful” on NBC
Handouts
(Compiled by veterinary students in Dr. Kelly Ballantyne’s classes at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine)