New Clients at the Behavior Service
Initial consultations are conducted by Dr. Stephanie Borns-Weil, a board-certified veterinary behaviorist. The consultation takes approximately 60 minutes. During the appointment, the doctor will discuss your pet’s behavior and overall health, observe your pet’s behavior, and provide treatment recommendations tailored to your pet’s needs. Treatment plans will include an estimate of the number of follow-up appointments likely to be needed. The price of a new client consultation is $585.
To Book a Behavior Consultation for Dogs and Cats
To book an appointment with the behavior service for your dog or cat please call us at (508) 887-4640 for details.
To Book a Behavior Consultation for Exotic Pets or Large Animals
To book an appointment with the behavior service for your horse or another large animal, or for your exotic pet (minipig, bird, rabbit, etc.), please call us at (508) 887-4640 for details.
After Booking Your Appointment
Medical Records
Your pet’s medical records are an essential part of the doctor’s evaluation of your pet. They provide us with information that allows us to rule out medical problems and avoid repetition of diagnostic testing. To have the records sent to the behavior service, you must contact your veterinarian and ask that they submit your pet’s records electronically here or by email to medrec@tufts.edu (please include reference to {pet's name}'s upcoming appointment when emailing).
Ask your primary veterinary for medical records
Copy the sample email below replacing the placeholders with your own information and send it to your veterinarian's office to request the medical records we need prior to your appointment with the Behavior Service.
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Dear Dr. {veterinarian's name}
I am making an appointment with the Behavior Service at Cummings Veterinary Medical Center at Tufts University in Grafton, MA for {pet's name}. Tufts need the last 6 months (or as appropriate) of medical records. Please contact them if you have any questions about what to include or for exceptions.
These records should include:
- Complete blood count, biochemistry profile and urinalysis
- Weight and body condition scores
- Additional relevant diagnostics (e.g. urine culture, T4, echocardiography, ultrasound reports)
You may submit the records electronically here or they can be emailed to medrec@tufts.edu (please include reference to {pet's name}'s upcoming appointment when emailing).
Thank you,
Videos or Photos
Pictures and videos provide a window into your pet’s behavior in his regular environment or in the context where the problem occurs. You may submit them in advance of your appointment by emailing them to us, or if they are too large to be emailed, you may share them by emailing a link to your own YouTube or DropBox account. You may also bring them with you to the appointment.
Which videos or photos?
- Video(s) of concerning behaviors. PLEASE NOTE: Do not provoke a potentially harmful response for the purpose of video capture. Safety is our first concern.
- Videos of your pet engaging in other (not necessarily problematic) behaviors.
- Home surveillance video often works well, if available.
- Photographs of the home (i.e., where your pet spends his/her time and the layout of the house/rooms).
All involved family member(s) and anyone that will assist with your pet’s treatment plan if possible (e.g., dog trainer, extended family members that care for the pet, etc.). Children are most welcome.
Another pet may be brought to provide “moral support” for the patient.
If your pets are fighting, both pets should be scheduled and present for the consultation. If they cannot be together in the consultation room safely, they can take turns in the consultation room with us while the other is housed in a run in the hospital wards.
What Should You Bring to Your Pet’s Consultation?
- Any training equipment you are currently using or anything you have at home (e.g., leashes, collars, head halters, harnesses, muzzles, etc.)
- A list of all current medications
- A list of questions and concerns you would like the doctor to address during the consultation
What Happens After the Appointment?
After the appointment, you will receive a written summary of the doctor’s treatment recommendations by email and the behavior service’s contact information. We are available by phone and email for urgent concerns, quick questions, and clarifications of the doctor’s treatment plan.
For revisions to the treatment plan or discussion of new behavior problems, clients are asked to book a brief or full telehealth or in-person follow-up appointment. We are committed to making sure that clients have ready access to follow-up appointments with minimal wait time.
Follow-up Care for Your Pet
Emails and phone calls are invited for urgent concerns, quick questions, and clarifications of the doctor’s treatment plan. To best serve your pet’s needs, we ask that you book brief or full telehealth or in-person follow-up appointment if you would like to discuss revisions of your pet’s behavior plan or new behavior problems.