Thank you for your interest in scheduling a behavior consult with us!
To schedule a consultation, begin by filling out the questionnaire HERE.
What is a veterinary behavior consult?
A veterinary behavior consult is the behavioral equivalent of a medical workup. When your pet is physically ill, your veterinarian will determine the course of treatment through a combination of physical exam findings and other diagnostics (such as blood work or x-rays). But when your pet has a behavioral problem, a physical examination and laboratory testing will often not provide a complete clinical picture. Therefore, your veterinarian may recommend a veterinary behavior consult.
During the consultation, we will discuss your pet’s behavior in detail (how long has the problem been going on, what circumstances does it occur in, what things change the intensity of the behavior, what treatments have already been tried, etc.). I will observe your pet in your home, and may also review video recordings and pictures.
Based on all of that information, I will arrive at a behavioral diagnosis. Once we have our diagnosis, we can discuss our treatment/management plan.
We will also discuss how to better read your pet’s body language, and discuss the underlying causes of your pet’s behaviors.
What does a behavioral treatment/ management plan look like?
The four components of a behavioral treatment/management plan are:
Environmental management – This involves making adjustments to the home or other environments that your pet is exposed to in order to avoid their triggers, among other things. I sometimes call these “passive management” strategies.
Behavior modification – This includes things like teaching your pet calming behaviors, teaching you how to better communicate with your pet, teaching you how to divert or redirect your pet’s attention away from his triggers, counterconditioning and desensitizing him from his triggers, etc. I sometimes call these “active management” strategies.
Medication – Some patients will benefit from medications. These recommendations are made on a case-by-case basis.
Monitoring – Last, but certainly not least, is monitoring and follow-up! We will stay in contact and continue to add to/modify your plan over time.
What are some of the conditions that you treat?
Separation anxiety
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Aggression Toward people, dogs, or other animals
Noise/Storm Phobias
Inappropriate Urination/Defecation (e.g., urinating in the house)
Obsessive Compulsive Behaviors (OCD)
Inappropriate Attention Seeking Behaviors (e.g., Jumping, Whining, barking)
…and many more!
Is a veterinary behavior consult right for my pet?
If you think that your dog or cat suffers from any of the above disorders, or if he/she is experiencing problems with barking/growling/hissing, biting, urination or defecation, fear or other anxieties, then a behavior consult may be right for you. My primary focus is to identify and treat THE UNDERLYING CAUSE of your pet’s behavioral problem.
What qualifications, education, and experience do you have?
My interest in behavior started in veterinary school, culminating with a 3-week externship at the University of Pennsylvania’s Behavior Medicine service in 2012.
I began offering dedicated veterinary behavior consultations in 2017 (in addition to general practice work, which I have been doing since 2013).
In the past several years, I have received hundreds of hours of additional training in behavioral medicine. My writing has also been published, as detailed below:
2017: I attended the NAVC Institute Applied Clinical Behavioral Medicine course.
2018: I achieved my Level 1 Fear Free Certification
2019: I went back to NAVC Institute for their Advanced Applied Behavioral Medicine course.
2020: I achieved my Level 2 Fear Free Certification
10/2020: I was elected as President-Elect of the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior
1/2021: My article “How not to let a behavior case ruin your day — partner up” was published in Veterinary Practice News Plus
2/2021: I attended the University of Sydney’s “What’s Behavior Got To Do With It?” virtual conference.
11/2021: I was interviewed on the radio show “Steve Dale’s Pet World” about humane dog training. You can listen to it by clicking here!
2022-2024: I served as President of AVSAB (the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior).
6/2023: I attended a week-long veterinary behavior course hosted by the Sir James Dunn Animal Welfare Centre at Atlantic Veterinary College on Prince Edward Island.
10/2023: I helped host the 2023 Clinical Animal Behavior Conference in Chicago.
6/2024: I attended the American College of Veterinary Behavior’s 2024 symposium.
7/2024: I was a panelist on the Association of Zoos & Aquariums RMC “Aggression Management in Zoo and Aquarium Animals” webinar series.
10/2024: I helped host the 2024 Clinical Animal Behavior Conference in Chicago.
2024-2026: Currently serving on the AVSAB (the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior) executive board as Past-President.
Since 2017, I have performed more than 1,500 veterinary behavior consultations. If you think your pet might benefit from a behavior consultation, I would be proud to help them as well!
About me…
My name is Dr. Steven Edwards. I grew up on Long Island, where I attended LIU Post and earned a B.S. in Biology. I then made the long trip to St. Kitts to attend veterinary school at Ross University, and finished my education with a year of clinical rotations at Virginia Tech, as well as a veterinary behavior externship at the University of Pennsylvania, and a shelter medicine externship at Cornell University.
After completing veterinary school, I returned to New York and entered practice. From 2013-2018, I worked in general practices in New York City and Long Island.
In 2017, I decided to further explore my long-standing passion in veterinary behavior. I started the Shirley Veterinary Hospital Behavior Service, where I saw our own hospital’s behavior cases, as well as behavior cases from nearby practices on a referral basis.
But after 30 years of braving the cold in New York, I finally decided it was time for warmer weather. So in the spring of 2018, I moved to Clearwater, FL.
I am proud to now be able to offer relief services to hospitals and in-home veterinary behavior consults to clients throughout Pinellas and the surrounding counties.
When I am not working, I enjoy hiking, SCUBA diving, and dancing Bachata.