Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine
Henry and Lois Foster Hospital for Small Animals
Henry and Lois Foster Hospital for Small Animals

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 $557.

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 record by

We recommend using the sample language in our records request form if you plan to email your veterinary clinic to request medical records for your pet's appointment.

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

In-Person Follow-Up Appointments with the Doctor

We offer in-person follow-up appointments on-site at the Foster Hospital for Small Animals. In-person follow-up appointments are 45 minutes, and the fee is $297.

Telehealth Follow-Up Appointments with the Doctor

Telehealth follow-up appointments are available for patients that have been seen in the past 12 months. For more comprehensive discussions, we offer full (30-minute) Zoom appointments for $130.

Behavior-Modification Appointments with Our Trainer

Behavior service trainer Sandra Robbins, CVT VTS, CPDT-KSA, KPA-CTP, is available remotely for 30-minute training and behavior-modification appointments. The fee for in-person or remote training appointments is $85 for 30 minutes.