Enter the initiative, a movement rooted entirely in the marriage of animal behavior and veterinary science . The premise is simple: A stressed animal has a suppressed immune system, elevated cortisol levels, and altered vital signs (elevated heart rate and blood pressure), which can skew diagnostic data.
Recent advances in animal behavior and veterinary science have led to significant improvements in animal care and welfare. Some examples include:
By treating the arthritis (the physical disease), the "behavior problem" vanished.
Veterinary behaviorists (veterinarians who complete a residency in behavior) are trained to distinguish between primary behavioral disorders (e.g., canine compulsive disorder, separation anxiety) and medical mimickers.
is being trained to recognize facial expressions of pain in sheep and horses (the Horse Grimace Scale). Soon, a smartphone video of a lame horse will be analyzed by AI to quantify pain levels objectively, removing human bias.