Are You a Veterinary Professional Seeking Behavioral Support for a Special Patient?
I Can Help With
Facilitating easier and safer veterinary care, husbandry, and at-home behaviors
I will work with you and your patient’s veterinary team to help offer comprehensive care in addressing the pet’s overall health and behavior.
In-Clinic Care
I can travel to your clinic to work directly with behavior patients and their owners, sharing my techniques with your team
In-home Care
I can work with clients between veterinary visits, introducing cooperative care techniques to aid in the clinic or at-home medical treatments
Groomers
I can work with clients to help increase safety and reduce anxiety for grooming staff and at-home husbandry care between groomings
Collaborative Medicated Behavior Case Management
I can work with you and clients for cases in which behavior medication and behavior modification are recommended. By working directly with the client, getting realtime updates and observations of the patient, I can provide you with more effective feedback on how your patient is responding to behavior medication.
I Can Also Help With…
Puppy and kitten problem prevention
Adolescent behavior prevention
Sound phobias
Human-directed biting behaviors
Ingestive behaviors (working in conjunction with your team)
… and Enrichment Plans
Modern pet lifestyles come with modern problems- like not having appropriate outlets for their natural behaviors of sniffing, chewing, hunting, scratching, and exploration. Enrichment options are tailored to your patient’s age, physical condition, and personality.
Don’t see your patient’s specific behavior concern listed?
Contact me to see if I can still help!
Service Overview
- All referred clients must undergo an Initial Consult with Sarah, which will include reviewing the patient’s medical history
- Clients can chose session packages or pay-per-session options thereafter
- Recommendations, training plans, and session summaries shared with pet’s care team
- Derpy Paws Behavior Consulting will share observations of patient response to behavioral medication with the patient’s primary veterinarian to assist with possible medication adjustments as deemed appropriate by the veterinarian
Initial Consult with the Client
What’s Included:
- Thorough review of the pet’s behavioral and medical history
- Typically held virtually to better assess the pet’s “natural” behaviors
- Written summary of recommendations, shared with the pet’s care team
- 60-90 minutes
$275
Canine Service Fees
Feline Service Fees
Process with Derpy Paws
What sequence of events should our clients expect working with you?
Great question! Pets with significant behavioral-needs rarely see positive change in a “one-and-done” session or group class setting. They need their humans to understand how an individual pet communicates, something that takes time for us humans to learn. Subtle, and not so subtle, medical symptoms may also be contributing to undesirable behaviors. I will help educate clients on what symptoms to monitor for throughout life. Here are the steps in working toward behavior change:
Step 1: Pre-Scheduling Requirements
After completing the Contact Form, I will reach out to confirm if I’m the most appropriate option for helping with your pet’s needs. If so, these 4 items are required to be completed and returned to Derpy Paws Behavior Consulting before you will receive a link to schedule your pet’s Initial Consult:
- A comprehensive behavior history form to complete,
- A services agreement to sign electronically,
- An invoice to prepay, and
- Full medical records
Step 2: Initial Consult
During the Initial Consult, I’ll ask additional questions about the pet’s behavior (+/- medical) history and goals for life with their pet. I will offer initial recommendations, including ways to manage/reduce the current behaviors and preliminary behavior therapy training interventions.
Step 3: Behavior Training Sessions
Meaningful behavior change occurs over weeks and months, meaning the pet will likely need more than 1 additional training session to work toward your goals. Session packages are an option to help keep momentum going. Please refer to the Canine Services or Feline Services pages for package fees.
Step 4: Maintenance Sessions
Many pet’s benefit from periodic “maintenance” sessions- single sessions to assess stable behaviors or when a pet may only need 1-3 sessions to focus on a single target behavior.
What areas do you service virtually vs in-person?
Virtually: Anywhere! I’ve helped families throughout Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, the Dakotas- even Nebraska and Canada!
In-Person: Northwest to Southwest Metro, from Rogers to Shakopee and from Minnetonka to Minneapolis. (Additional travel fees may apply outside of these areas.)
How will you share your recommendations with us after appointments?
You will be sent a link to join your pet’s portal, called Fetch. This portal will be rich with information and resources- including the written summary from our Initial Consult and a “Road Map” for ongoing work together.
“Road Maps” are a way for us to gradually add to you and your pet’s behavioral toolkit. Within your pet’s portal and Road Map, you’ll have access to applicable handouts, homework, and various video and product resources. You can also upload pictures and videos in your portal to share with me!
My veterinarian recommended my pet be on behavioral medications. How will that impact our work together?
Another great question! “Big emotions” (acute and chronic stress) impact how your pet responds to his environment. If those emotions are “too big”, than some animals essentially “loose control” over their behaviors and/or can develop medical conditions. If that’s the case for your pet, and your vet has recommended behavioral medication, then I can work with you and your vet to help assess if the prescribed medications are having the intended positive effects. (Helpful quick read: Behavior Medication for Dogs: 9 Things You Should Know)
DISCLAIMER: I am NOT a veterinarian, therefore I cannot diagnose, prescribe, or alter medications. Once your veterinarian has started your pet on behavior medication, I can help assess if your pet is showing reduced fear, anxiety, and aggression, and if your pet is learning more effectively throughout our sessions. I can relay this information to your veterinarian for them to continue offering medication recommendations.
I have more than one pet with behavior concerns. Will you still work with us?
Yes! There is an additional $175 fee per added pet. This accounts for the time reviewing each pet’s history.
No additional fees are added to packages or single sessions thereafter.
Do you offer night and weekend appointments?
Unfortunately I cannot offer nights or weekends at this time due to child care needs at home.
“Animal memories are specific because they are sensory based and not word based”
Dr. Temple Grandin