Apiam adds value to clients with behavioural medicine services

The pandemic has been tough for everyone, with financial and social challenges arising over the past two years, an increase in awareness of mental health has grown. There has also been a steady growing public awareness about the prevalence of mental health in our pets, who just like people can experience anxiety and other mental health disorders that can affect their daily functioning and wellbeing. 

Pet ownership jumped 15% between 2019 and 2021 with more people seeking companionship whilst stuck at home, and what better companions than those with four legs?

Apiam Animal Health (ASX: AHX) as a company has experienced growth over the pandemic which can be attributed to the increase in pet ownership and regional migration thanks to the lockdown loop. The regional veterinary clinic operator saw a significant increase in their client base which spurred a period of strong growth, evidenced by the 36% year-on-year increase in gross profit through to the March quarter. 

A huge driver for Apiam’s continued success is the value-adds they provide clients and their pets, ensuring recurring revenue over the pet’s lifespan. One growing area is Veterinary Behavioural Medicine that provides evidence-based information, advice and behavioural consultations for clients needing help with their pet’s behaviour. The service is growing in popularity and returning to the office uncovers some less than ideal behaviours. Just ask Brandy- my staffy cross that made her dissatisfaction with me going into the office VERY clear by beginning renovations on my front door. 

The damage, and the (very cute) culprit- Although the term Separation Anxiety can be used flippantly, it should be recognised that true Separation Anxiety is a significant mental health disorder. Not all dogs that suffer separation distress will leave such obvious evidence as Brandy (above) did here. Many may suffer in silence with only subtle signs such as quietly pacing or leaving food until people are home.

Dr Ashleigh Hargreaves, an Apiam vet based in Warrnambool Victoria, has post graduate qualifications in behavioural medicine.

Hargreaves defines veterinary behaviour as “the field of veterinary medicine that looks at an animal’s emotional and mental health. To label it in human health terms, it can be thought of as veterinary psychiatry.

“Veterinarians with further behaviour training have a special skill set to help collect relevant history of a patient, evaluate body language and assess a patient’s emotional and mental state. They can diagnose mental health problems and determine whether a problem behaviour is physical health related, mental health related or a training problem that requires clear communication between human and animal.”

Behaviour consults tackle a whole host of problems such as fears, aggression, anxiety, nuisance behaviours (barking, digging), toileting problems, repetitive behaviours and pain and age related behaviour problems.

We know that 1 in 5 people will experience a mental health disorder in their lifetime, and vets suspect the prevalence is similar in our pets too.

“Some pets that were newly adopted during the pandemic may have never had to spend long hours alone by themselves, and that has been a transition for them learning to be alone,” says Hargraves. “Whilst most dogs can learn to adjust to new routines, some may find it more difficult. “True separation anxiety is a mental health disorder and there is a genetic predisposition to developing such a condition.” In these cases, seeking behavioural help can significantly reduce stress for both the animal and owner. What we can thank the pandemic for is improving the awareness of mental health and behavioural problems in our pets as they will continue to be a problem for many pets, just like any health problem requiring veterinary care. 

Still trying to convince me she’s not an animal whisperer, Dr Hargreaves details how her holistic, evidence-based approach to her patients’ care is based on thorough assessment of the patient and creating an individual treatment plan. 

“In the past 18 months, I have been seeing a patient, Missy. She is a 10yr old whippet who had noise phobia and had developed significant separation anxiety in the 6 months preceding our consultation.

“There is evidence that dogs with separation anxiety often have a higher rate of comorbidities such as noise phobia and chronic pain. It has been shown that the stress of loud noises and feeling pain at a time when they’re alone can lead to the dog associating this fear and pain with being alone, and lead to further anxiety about being separated from their primary support people. 

“I identified back pain in Missy which we managed with adequate pain control, and a noise phobia which she was experiencing distress from each day with construction happening next door to their house. 

“Missy’s family were coming home to find Missy panting and salivating all over the gate and in a very stressed state. Because of this, Missy’s family were finding it very distressing to leave the house and leave Missy.

“Missy’s treatment program involved medications to treat her chronic pain and to treat her anxiety. It also involved environmental and behavioural management plans to help her feel more calm and comfortable.

“It was rewarding to see Missy last month for a revisit. She was back to living her best life and appeared like a confident dog in front of me in the consult room. Her family were thrilled they had their old Missy back, and could now leave her home again, knowing she was back to happily resting until their return.”

Missy’s story is just one of many with the pandemic bringing serious separation anxiety in our new family additions to light. Oftentimes, behavioural issues are a symptom of something underlying, says Hargreaves. 

“These patients need medications to treat their illness, much like a diabetic needs medication to help their pancreas function. They also need a wrap around treatment program that addresses what they need to feel safe now and what they need to learn to manage their emotions. It might sound complex, but we try very hard to help owners understand how their pet is feeling and why so the owners understand how to help their pets.

“Clients often come in thinking they have failed their pet by not training them well enough or due to something they have done, but these types of cases are not training problems and going to a behavioural vet for these animals, is just like a human with a mental health concern seeing a psychiatrist. 

“Having this understanding of an animal’s motives, helps us be empathetic to our pets and look for the correct care and treatment they need.”

Taking animal behaviour concerns to a vet is a smart move, with the dog training and animal behaviour industry outside of the veterinary profession being highly unregulated. “There are many people seeking advice for their pets and not getting appropriate information, some of which can be damaging to their pets,” says Hargreaves. 

Despite being relatively new, the field of behavioural medicine is growing. Currently there are only three registered veterinary specialists practising in the field in Australia, and approximately 70 veterinarians that have membership level qualifications with the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Medicine (of which Dr Hargreaves is one). 

Hargreaves  is undertaking further training to one day become a registered specialist in the field of behavioural medicine. Currently she offers behavioural consults across a number of Apiam Fur Life clinics, a service which Apiam is hoping to expand to reach more of their clients. 

For Dr Hargreaves, behavioural medicine is something she hopes to see increasing attention given to by both vets and animal owners. “Behavioural medicine is an area of veterinary medicine where you can make a real difference for the welfare of an animal and their quality of life, as well as in many cases improve the quality of life of their human care-givers and strengthen the human-animal bond between them.”