Dr. Amy Pike joins the podcast to discuss behavior screening in general practice! Dr. Pike was recommended by multiple listeners to the podcast because of her lecture The 6 M’s of Treating and Behavior Disorder in Practice. One listener even said the lecture helped their practice become better equipped to handle or rear behavior cases!
The 6 M’s are:
1) Medical Rule Out
2) Mental Enrichment
3) Management
4) Modification of behavior
5 Medications and Products
6) Monitor and Modify the Plan
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ABOUT OUR GUEST
Dr. Pike is a native Arizonan and graduated from Colorado State University’s school of veterinary medicine in 2003. Working as an Army veterinarian after graduation and taking care of the Military Working Dogs returning from deployment spurred her interests in behavior medicine. Dr. Pike completed a Residency program and became board certified in 2015. She is owner of the Animal Behavior Wellness Center and was recently named one of the “Top Veterinarians of Northern Virginia” by NoVa Magazine for the sixth year in a row.
Dr. Pike speaks all over the world about veterinary behavior medicine, she has been published in numerous veterinary journals, she has conducted and published two scientific research studies, and is a contributing author in five clinical text books. She mentors 4 clinical behavior residents and is a clinical instructor for E-training for dogs and the Masters Program in Applied Animal Behavior at Virginia Tech. She is an advisory board member for Royal Canin, Fear Free, and the Animal Welfare League of Arlington, and is a consultant for Chewy, Inc. In her (fairly non-existent) spare time, she enjoys gardening and hanging out with her active-duty Army husband of 20 years, their 14 yr old daughter, and 9 yr old son, and their menagerie- Dobby (6 yr old Devon Rex), Ike (4 yr old Giant Schnauzer), Scooby (2 yr old, Mini schnauzer), Ginny (10 month old Airedale), Prickles (1 yr old Hedge Hog) and Pavlov (16 week old Indian Ringneck Parakeet).
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
This podcast transcript is made possible thanks to a generous gift from Banfield Pet Hospital, which is striving to increase accessibility and inclusivity across the veterinary profession. Click here to learn more about Equity, Inclusion & Diversity at Banfield.
Dr. Andy Roark:
Welcome everybody to The Cone of Shame Veterinary Podcast. I am your host, Dr. Andy Roark. Guys, I got a great episode today for anybody in the vet practice and, honestly, it’s probably pretty great for pet owners, who are interested in behavior, to hear as well. Gang, Dr. Amy Pike is here talking about the 6 M’s that she uses to treat any behavior disorder in practice. And guys, this is so packed full of pearls. It’s like a pearl bag that’s one size too small for all the pearls. That’s what it’s like, it is. This is a great one. It’s short and to the point. It’s about 25 minutes of our interview. Man, you’re going to get something out of this. I can’t wait for you to hear it. Let’s get into this episode.
Kelsey Beth Carpenter:
(Singing) This is your show. We’re glad you’re here. We want to help you in your veterinary career. Welcome to The Cone of Shame, with Dr. Andy Roark.
Dr. Andy Roark:
Welcome Dr. Amy Pike. Thanks for being here.
Dr. Amy Pike:
Yeah, thanks for having me. I appreciate it.
Dr. Andy Roark:
Oh man, it is an honor to have you here. You are here because I asked the world on social media, “What is the best lecture that you have seen as a veterinary professional? Who’s the person who gave a lecture that really you thought was amazing? And what did they talk about?” And you got one of the nods, a significant nod. The feedback was something along the lines of, “Dr. Amy Pike’s lecture helped me change the way that I screen behavior cases and how we treat these pets. And it made a big difference in our hospital.” And I thought, “Man.” No pressure, Amy. Holy moly.
Dr. Amy Pike:
I know, right. I know. Can I retire now?
Dr. Andy Roark:
Yes, you should be-
Dr. Amy Pike:
Is that it, I’m at the pinnacle?
Dr. Andy Roark:
Just drop the veterinary mike and take the rest of the night off because you crushed it. You are, for people who don’t know you, you are a boarded veterinary behaviorist. You have worked as an army veterinarian, and you worked with military working dogs. You have been named one of the top veterinarians of Northern Virginia by Nova Magazine for six years in a row. You actually own your own hospital, correct? The Animal Behavior Wellness Center. And that is in Northern Virginia.
Dr. Amy Pike:
Yeah, we have two locations, one in Northern Virginia, one in Central in Richmond.
Dr. Andy Roark:
Oh, very nice. And then you have residents of your own now, is that true?
Dr. Amy Pike:
We do, I have little minions, four of them.
Dr. Andy Roark:
You’re taking over this profession. I love it. Well, thank you so much for being here. I just wanted to come in… So that was the guidance that I got was, “You got to talk to Amy Pike about the way that she screens behavior in these animals.” And so I don’t have a specific case that I want to put on you, but help me get into that headspace. Yeah, walk me through, how should I be looking at this in practice, Amy?
Dr. Amy Pike:
Yeah, so I went to Colorado State. And any of you who have seen Mike Lappin lecture, he was one of my professors. And he likes to bring things into these little algorithms of, “If this, then that,” kind of thing. And that’s really where I wanted to come at this from, because not every clinician has an interest in behavior. Nor have they had any behavior, potentially, even in school, or in continuing education. And so any behavior case, no matter whether it be the worst aggression you’ve ever seen, or a puppy that’s peeing in the house and hasn’t been potty trained, how do you just start from the beginning and work through any case? And that’s where I came at this from.
Dr. Andy Roark:
All right, let’s do it. Run me through your Mike Lappin style algorithm. I’m fired up now.
Dr. Amy Pike:
Yeah, so I call it the 6 M’s. So the first M would be medical rule outs. So behavior is very much a rule out diagnosis. So that’s why any behavior case should come to see their veterinarian first and foremost. Because that little puppy peeing in the house, maybe it’s not house soiling because it is not yet house trained, it’s got a urinary tract infection. So we want to make sure that we rule out any sort of medical concern. And that, of course, includes doing our medical due diligence as veterinarians, doing your full physical exam. Orthopedic, neurologic, especially because pain can be a huge contribution to behavior concerns. And then CBC chemistry, urinalysis, and a thyroid panel. So that’s where I start with any behavior issue.
Dr. Andy Roark:
I love it. That is super commonsensical in a way, though I always struggle with. When you’re at a party and people are like, “Hey my cat’s peeing outside the box.” Let’s make sure this isn’t a medical issue is a great… “See you on Monday,” that’s how you answer that piece of advice. I love it.
Dr. Amy Pike:
Yeah, make an appointment with your vet.
Dr. Andy Roark:
Yeah. Thanks. Oh, I love it. All right, great. So I’m 100% on board with the first one. First M is medical rule up. Okay, what’s number two?
Dr. Amy Pike:
Yeah, so second M can be… Well, I interchange the next two. So we’ll go with mental enrichment. So mental enrichment is all about stimulating a brain, basically. And so we want to make sure that these pets have enough opportunities to do their normal behavioral repertoires. So cats love to hunt, so we want to make sure that cats have the ability to be able to hunt, to climb vertical spaces, to get away from other cats in their territory.
Dr. Amy Pike:
We want to make sure that dogs, especially dogs of working lines and working breeds have enough stimulation that they’re going to be tired. And I hear trainers all the time say, “Oh, you need to exercise that dog. Oh, you need to exercise them. Exercise is like the end all, be all.” But, let’s say, you have a dog that has leash reactivity and it can’t handle seeing other dogs on leash. Well, exercise is not going to be good for that dog. Taking it out on a leash walk, where it’s exposed to all of its triggers, is not going to be any good. So how do the owners go about actually tiring that pet out? And the easiest way is just through mental stimulation. You can do trick training. You can do nose work, where you hide pieces of treats all throughout the house and they have to find it. If you’ve ever seen a puppy after puppy class, they are exhausted. But they romp and play with their friend for 45 minutes, and they’re not necessarily tired after that. They’re raring to go for another round. So you have to stimulate that brain.
Dr. Andy Roark:
That’s awesome. So hold on, I’m going to be honest here and say you blew my mind. Which, again, it seems super simple when you say it. And I’m like, “I have always been one of those exercise, exercise veterinarians.” Just because a tired dog is a good dog. I see understimulation as a problem in a lot of pets that I see. Anyway, and I am that person too. I am that person who’s like, “If I don’t get out and exercise, I start getting stir crazy.”
Dr. Amy Pike:
But if you think about it, Andy, from your perspective, if you go out and, let’s say, go for a run. You’re training your body to be a better runner. So if we take that border collie out for a run, they’re just going to be a better runner. They’re going to need more and more and more and more. And so, really, that’s a self-licking ice cream cone, so to speak. We actually need to tire that brain out a little bit better.
Dr. Andy Roark:
Well, I really like this a lot, and I want to unpack this. Because you’re right, I have literally had clients who are like, “I took him and then I started exercising and walking and running. And that was great for a couple weeks. And then he got in shape and, now, I’m in as much trouble as I was in before.” And so this is a new concept or idea for me. So give me some guidelines here about these mental workouts. What are you looking for? If a client says to me, “Yeah, first of all, I can’t out-exercise my husky. I break way before she does.” What kind of guidance do you have here? Help me get an idea in my head of how to do this and what guidance to give.
Dr. Amy Pike:
Yeah, it can be as just as easy as not feeding the dog out of a bowl, or a cat. So make them work for that food. Put it in puzzle toys, hide it. We call these adventure boxes. We take all the Amazon boxes and put kibble inside of one. And then put another one in there, put some toilet paper or paper towels, put some more kibble in there. So the dog actually has to go through that. So rather than your Labrador taking 0.2 seconds to hoover up its food, maybe it’ll take 10 to 20 minutes. And that 10 to 20 minutes is actually exhausting because they really have to think about it.
Dr. Amy Pike:
I, now, as a veterinarian, not when I was in general practice, but now as a veterinarian, I have very much a desk job. Because I can’t move for most of my patients because they will try and eat me, should I do make any sort of motion. But I’m exhausted at the end of the day. I haven’t done anything physical, it’s because my brain’s been working the whole time. So that’s one easy way. Even just 10 to 15 minutes of running through there, sit down, shake, touch, whatever tricks that they know, or teaching them a new trick, can be just as mentally stimulating. My kids love to hide the feeder toys for the cat all around the house. They fill these little mice up every night and they hide them all over the house. And the cat has to hunt all night. And it’s not up waking me up in the middle of the night saying, “When’s food coming?” But it’s actually getting some mental stimulation, and performing some of those normal behaviors that it would otherwise.
Dr. Andy Roark:
I love this. And I love your example of the Amazon boxes and things like that. I’m 100% running through, in my mind, how to put this together. Are there toys that you like specifically for dogs and cats? Are there certain brands that you’re like, “Yeah, that’s what I recommend,” or things like that to help get people started?
Dr. Amy Pike:
Yeah, there are so many your head would spin. There’s some really good enrichment social media Facebook groups out there. But one of my favorites for cats is the Doc & Phoebe’s mice. Those are what my cats love to find. And then, really, for dogs, I do a lot of DIY for dogs. Because I have pretty destructive dogs so I’m going to make something that they can destroy. But they are a lot of good… KONG makes a bunch, not even just your normal KONG that you stuff, but the one that has a little hole in the side. I think it’s called the KONG Wobbler, where you can manipulate it and topple that food out.
Dr. Andy Roark:
So I’m a big KONG guy. I looked over to the side, I used to have a shelf of KONG, this kind of display. But my Goldendoodle has just been helping himself for the last couple of months. And by the time I find it, it’s too late.
Dr. Amy Pike:
He’s like, “Hey, I need enrichment, Dad.”
Dr. Andy Roark:
Oh, he’s smart. He waits for me to leave, and then he just helps himself. But my nephew, who’s 2-years-old, came to visit a little while ago. And he found those big KONG Wobblers, and there was two of them. And that kid just toddled through the house, holding these two KONG Wobblers that were as big as him. It was absolutely awesome. So anyway, all right, cool. I’ll stick some links in the show notes, at least for KONG stuff and for the Doc & Phoebe. All right, cool. So we’ve got medical rule out, we got mental enrichment, where are we going from here?
Dr. Amy Pike:
The third one’s going to be management. So management is just like staunching the bleeding, wait, put a tourniquet on, or put a bandage on something. Maybe we don’t have time to explore that wound a little further, but we need to stop that bleeding immediately. So management is what’s going to do that for behavior. So we are going to try and avoid the triggers, so whatever that trigger may be. So, let’s say, the dog is leash reactive to other dogs. All right, we’re going to avoid leash walks as much as possible. Or we’re going to take the dog to a remote trail. Or, during COVID, it was nice because the schools were empty, people could go to the school grounds and walk around. Church parking lots are a really good place. Business centers that are empty and void of employees right now also make great areas. So that’s just going to prevent the practice of that problematic behavior.
Dr. Amy Pike:
So number one, we know practice makes perfect. So if we stop the practice of that behavior, the dog’s not going to get any sort of reinforcement or punishment for it. But it will allow us then to be able to train something in the future, which we’ll talk about. But the other thing too is, especially with aggression, because that’s the number one thing that I see as a behaviorist, it’s going to keep everybody safe. And if we can keep everyone safe, then we can keep that pet in the home until we’re able to implement treatment. Because behavior treatment isn’t an overnight thing. I know owners obviously come in and they want the magic wand, but it doesn’t happen. And it’s going to take some time. So we are going to have to implement management in the meantime.
Dr. Andy Roark:
That totally makes sense. So, basically, what I’m hearing when you say management is, let’s not let these problems detonate. And just put ourselves in a safe place while we work on the mechanism behind the scenes. Is that pretty accurate?
Dr. Amy Pike:
Exactly, yeah.
Dr. Andy Roark:
Okay, cool. Great, I like that. What does that look like in things like house soiling in cats or things like that? I see that in dogs, and I think dog triggers seem to be much more known and recognized. And cat triggers, I’m not saying they’re not there, I’m saying pet owners often don’t see them or get them. And then I get a lot of, “I don’t know why he’s doing this.” Help me with that.
Dr. Amy Pike:
Yeah, so one of the things, obviously, the owner’s going to want to stop the urination or defecation on their carpet. So if we maybe just confine that cat to a bathroom with its own litter box; food; and water, or a basement maybe that’s unfinished. Somewhere where, even if the behavior happens, it’s not going to be as detrimental to the oriental rug or something like that. But also, inner cat aggression is a big component, whether it be obvious or subtle, in a multi cat household. So separating all the cats until we figure out what the root cause is for the elimination. But that would be one other way that we can go about that.
Dr. Andy Roark:
That’s awesome. Okay, that totally makes sense. Great, I’m on board with management. Where are we going from here?
Dr. Amy Pike:
Excellent. So the next one would be modification of behavior. So this is teaching either the animal an alternate behavior to the one that we don’t want. Let’s say, dog is jumping on guests. All right, we’re going to teach it to sit down for attention instead. Or if we’re talking about something that is fear, anxiety, or stress related, we’re going to desensitize them and counter condition them to that trigger. So this is all the training aspect of what I do. I equate it to the therapy in humans. It’s like you have to put in the work. And this is the work that’s going to take the time in order to teach those different behaviors.
Dr. Andy Roark:
Perfect. I’m making copious notes over here. This is really good, yeah. All right, that’s wonderful.
Dr. Andy Roark:
Guys, I just got to jump in here real fast and give a quick shout out to Banfield the Pet Hospital. Guys, we have transcripts for this podcast. That’s right, at drandyroark.com you can find transcripts to all of the Cone of Shame Veterinary Podcast episodes. Banfield has sponsored that, they have made it possible to increase accessibility and inclusivity in our profession. I’m so grateful to them for that. We could not do it without them. Gang, I hope you’ll take advantage of this resource. Feel free to check it out. It’s not hard to find. We try to make it super easy to find. Anyway, I just got to say thanks to those guys. And I want you guys to know that those transcripts are there, if you need them. Gang, let’s get back into this episode.
Dr. Andy Roark:
Is there anything that we need to set… Help me, when we start talking about modification of behavior, what expectations do you try to put into the mind of the pet owner? Because this is a lot of work. It’s easy to be like, “We’re just going to alternate your dog’s behavior so he doesn’t jump up on people when they come to the house.” And they’re like, “Great, that sounds like a busy day.” And it’s like, “Oh no, no. Oh, no.” Help me with that. How do you do that?
Dr. Amy Pike:
Well, and I always tell people too, I’m obviously busy, I have a family practice and everything. And so if management can solve a lot of your issues, let’s say, it is this jumping dog. And you just say, “Hey, I’m going to just put the dog away when I let people in and then it can’t jump on people.” If that’s all you want to do, that’s fine. I am totally cool with that.
Dr. Amy Pike:
But if you do want to do the modification of the behavior, then we are going to have to train that. It’s going to take consistency. It’s going to take using positive reinforcement based training. So making sure we reward that pet for that alternate behavior. And really, honestly, even if it’s something as simple as jumping up, we could probably teach that in one session. But getting the consistency under our belts is going to be the key. And that may take weeks to months, depending on how long this animal has been doing this behavior. If this has been seven years running and, now, we’re trying to change it, it’s going to take a little bit longer. Because there’s a lot of reinforcement history there. But if this is a new puppy, that’s going to be simple.
Dr. Andy Roark:
Okay, I like that. That makes sense. I’m totally on board with this. I love the way this program is coming together. So number five?
Dr. Amy Pike:
Yeah. So number five would be medication and products. And that’s if it is something that’s fear, anxiety, and stress related. So the house soiling puppy that we’ve ruled out medical, that is just a puppy that has never had potty training before, that’s not going to need medication and products. So I’m talking about dogs and cats with anxiety disorders. And so this can be anything from our nutraceuticals like ANXITANE and Zylkene. Am I allowed to say brand names?
Dr. Andy Roark:
Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, you can definitely, yeah. Yeah, totally. Yep. No, no, you’re all good.
Dr. Amy Pike:
Good. And then we can use the pheromones, like ADAPTIL and FELIWAY, all the way up to our psychotropic medications. And we have a few that are FDA approved in dogs. We’ve got Reconcile and Clomicalm, which are FDA approved for separation anxiety in dogs. We’ve got SILEO gel, which is approved for noise and storm phobias. We’ve got Enalapril, which can be hard to find, but it is approved for cognitive dysfunction in dogs. And hopefully in the next year or so we will get Pexion, which is a benzodiazepine that is approved for noise phobias as well. But other than that, we’re using everything off label in our veterinary patients. And we use all of the same psychotropic medication that they do in human medicine now. So we have lots and lots of options moving forward.
Dr. Andy Roark:
Talk to me about the timing of this. So when we’re laying out this program, number four modification of behavior, comes before number five, which is medication. Is that how it goes in practice? So I know there’s some difference here in behaviorists and how they do it. I’m really interested in this of when do I introduce medication? I think I’ve been guilty, earlier in my career, of sitting on medication too long when, had I introduced it earlier on with the training, I could have been more successful. And so I’m still parsing that. Can you comment a little bit on the timing of those things together?
Dr. Amy Pike:
Absolutely. That can be a little bit tricky. So the reason that I have it in this order in my talk is because there are some behaviors that aren’t going to need medication and products. And so, of course, I didn’t want to put that first. But for the cases that typically see me, I’m not seeing the jumping dog at the door, because I’m seeing the aggressive dog at the door. And for the most part, if the animal cannot be kept under a threshold, meaning the owners can’t manage the environment appropriately… Maybe they live in an apartment and the dog has to go outside to potty, and they’re leash reactive to every dog. Or they’re reactive to strangers, and they also live in an apartment and have to take the elevator 13 floors with other people, I am likely going to have to need some sort of medication in order to keep that animal under threshold.
Dr. Amy Pike:
Because nobody can learn when they’re highly aroused. So if you are stressed, learning doesn’t take place. And if the animal is reacting, nothing is happening between those ears except fight or flight. And so we need to make sure that those medications get on board, sooner rather than later, because, otherwise, they’re just going to spin their wheels with training and get frustrated.
Dr. Andy Roark:
Okay. All right. Can I ask you about a specific case that this could have come together?
Dr. Amy Pike:
Yeah, of course.
Dr. Andy Roark:
Okay, so this is interesting, and it’s a case that bothered me a lot because I didn’t feel like I had good tools in my toolbox to deal with it. Or maybe I didn’t process it, at the time. Because you’re in the exam room, the person’s laying out… I had a case… It’s been some time ago now, so I feel comfortable telling you about it. But, basically, it was a person who had an 11-month-old German shepherd in an apartment complex. And the dog was barking continuously and the neighbors were complaining. And I talked about exercising the dog a lot, which I think is true. Can you talk to me a little bit about that? And, of course, the owner said, she said, “I want medications for this dog.” And I did not like that. But now that I’m listening to you, I’m going, “Well, is this dog hyper stimulated because it’s being crated. And how do you train this dog that’s having this reaction?” Anyway, yeah, help me just process that, as I think back.
Dr. Amy Pike:
Yeah, I think the trouble with barking is they’re going to have to take a little bit deeper detailed history because barking has so many motivations. But, regardless, if it is pretty much all daytime hours, there’s probably a some sort of noise stimulus. That they’re hearing other things outside. Potentially, separation anxiety. And like you said, if we are unable… If that dog cannot even focus on owner trying to give it a treat when it’s quiet, and it just continually is barking, it is going to need medication.
Dr. Andy Roark:
Okay, that helps.
Dr. Amy Pike:
Now, of course, I’m going to do management, mental enrichment, all that stuff at the same time. As I tell my owners, it’s never medication in a vacuum. But the medication is going to allow us to be able to proceed in a much better fashion, and much faster.
Dr. Andy Roark:
Well, I come out of this interview thinking about that case. And thinking about mental enrichment is definitely the tool that I wish I’d had handy in my pocket, that I could have brought in as well as the exercise stuff that I talked about. Because that dog does need exercise. But that was maybe another thing. So anyway, that’s super helpful for me. I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s listening to this, who’s running back through their own cases and going, “I could have taken that one a different way.” Anyway, well, that’s why we do these. All right, perfect. And then that brings us to number six, what have you got?
Dr. Amy Pike:
Yeah. And number six is monitor and modify the plan. Because there is no behavior plan that goes out the door that’s perfect, especially when it comes to medication and behavior modification. Well, actually, I should take that back. Every single one of these things. Because no matter what I give owners, they could come back to me and be like, “I can’t crate that dog. Number one, it’s panicked.” Okay, we’re going to have to work on crate training. Or, “I can’t hold the dog back when people are coming to the door because it then redirects and bites at me.” All right, well, that’s something we’re going to have to modify.
Dr. Amy Pike:
So no plan that goes out that door is going to be perfect from the get-go. And so it’s very, very key. Behavior cases are probably some of the most intense as far as follow up is concerned. Because we need to be in regular touch with these owners to make sure that they are on track, and that everything is proceeding as we want it to be. And certainly with medications. Yes, we pick medications based off of what clinical signs we’re seeing, what neurotransmitters we want to target, et cetera. But it’s up to that brain, ultimately, whether they respond to it or not. And so I can pick the greatest medication based on the textbook chapter. If that dog hasn’t read the textbook chapter, then I’m going to have to alter that.
Dr. Andy Roark:
That totally makes sense. Well, great, this is super helpful. I love these six steps. This has been really helpful. I’ve taken away a couple of real nuggets and pearls today, so I call that a huge win. I want to ask you something now that may seem a little bit off topic in the moment. But I’ve been sitting with this since about halfway through our conversation. You are about the most laid back animal behaviorist that I have ever talked to. As far as your ability to be like, “We’ll see what happens.” And when you say, “Hey, if you want to put your dog away, instead of the dog who jumps up, you just want to put him away, that’s fine.” And I’m like, “Wow.” Legitimately, I had people who are animal behaviorists who are like, “Nope, we’re going to fix this.” And you’re like, “Well, find what works.”
Dr. Amy Pike:
I’m a realist. I am very much a realist. And, again, I’m also a client, to a certain degree. I have pets. They’re not all perfect. Certainly, my children are not perfect. And so you have to roll with the punches. And if management is all you can handle, have at it. Management and mental enrichment, I’m good with you.
Dr. Andy Roark:
Well, so two things. Number one, you and I talked about our kids before we started recording. And so you have a 14 and 9-year-old. I have a 9 and 11-year-old… Or a 14 and 11-year-old. It changes your perspective a little bit about what’s really important. You’re like, “Look, just get through the day.” And so I love that.
Dr. Amy Pike:
Exactly, let’s get through the day.
Dr. Andy Roark:
Look, we’re all just holding it together. Just let’s make it work. But, anyway, I think it’s really refreshing. I think a lot of us, as veterinarians, feel like we’re not getting it right. Or we didn’t 100% fix this. Or we’re not fixing it as fast as we should. And I just want to tell you, I really like your perspective. And I think that you make me feel much more competent, with a more laid-back attitude of, “You know what? We’re going to work on this, and some of it’s not going to work. And we’re going to keep adjusting.” But, anyway, I’m struck by that, talking to you. I think it’s really awesome. Actually, let me ask you this real quick. Do you have favorite behavior resources out there? So if you’re a veterinarian or a technician and you’re like, “This is my jam.” Where do you send people to?
Dr. Amy Pike:
Yeah, even if it’s not your jam, if you want more resources just for clients, the Five-Minute Vet Consult, Canine and Feline behavior one, is one of my favorites. I give it to all my students when they come on rotation. I love Decoding Your Cat and Decoding Your Dog by the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists. Might see a chapter in one of the books by yours truly. And those are great for clients too. I love being able to put those into puppy and kitten packs. If I were in general practice, that’s what I would do. I would put one of those books in every single one of my puppy and kitten packs and send those home with owners. Because that is going to be an invaluable resource for the life of that animal.
Dr. Andy Roark:
Those are great. I’ll put links to all that stuff in the show notes. Those are great books, Decoding Your Dog and Decoding Your Cat. And 100% written for pet owners as well. Really good call, really great recommendation. Amy, where can people find you online? Where can they learn more about your practice, things like that?
Dr. Amy Pike:
Yeah, well you can find me at our website at abwellnesscenter.com. And our Facebook page is the same AB Wellness Center. And we put lots of resources up there, lots of success stores from our patients, good ideas for management. We have a fun little post recently of a dog with his nice little bandana that says, “Don’t touch me,” so advertising his management to others. So we love that type of stuff.
Dr. Andy Roark:
I wish I had a bandana that said, “Don’t talk to me,” sometimes.
Dr. Amy Pike:
That’s what I said too. Yeah, leave. No hugs.
Dr. Andy Roark:
That’s so great, thank you. No hugs. Thank you so much for being here. You were really wonderful. Guys, everybody take care of yourselves. Thanks for listening. I will talk to you next week.
Dr. Andy Roark:
And that’s it, guys. That’s what we got. Thank you so much Dr. Amy Pike for being here. Gang, I love this. I love talking about this stuff. I love learning. I love getting better. If you want to get your team on board with episodes like this, just share it with them. It’s available on YouTube, if you have people who like to go and watch the podcast on YouTube. It’s wherever you get your podcasts. You can tell Amazon Alexa to play the latest Cone of Shame Veterinary Podcast and she’ll do it. And so you got that going for you. It’s easy to bring the team in.
Dr. Andy Roark:
Also, if you want to work with your team on making good recommendations and communicating more effectively with pet owners, I got you there too. You can head over to drandyroark.com and click on our store. And I have a course, which is my Exam Room Communication course for teams. It is my best advice and practices for training teams to work with pet owners. Check it out. Man, it’s my best resource that I could possibly make to help teams work better in the exam room. I hope that you’ll find something valuable in it. And that you and your team can get something out of it. I bet you can. Anyway, guys, take care of yourselves. Be well. I’ll talk to you soon.
