A dog with separation anxiety or a cat with inappropriate elimination is often at high risk of surrender or euthanasia—not due to the animal’s physical health, but due to the breakdown of the bond. Veterinary behaviorists now operate at this interface, treating the relationship as much as the patient.
This separation often led to missed diagnoses and poor welfare outcomes. Animals experiencing chronic pain frequently exhibit subtle behavioral changes rather than overt physical signs. Conversely, severe behavioral disorders like obsessive-compulsive licking were sometimes misdiagnosed as purely dermatological issues. zooskool 250 2021