Purdue News

February 10, 1995 New Dog Behavior Clinic On Tap In Veterinary School WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – "It's a dog's life" doesn't have to mean a bad life, and Purdue University's School of Veterinary Medicine is starting three initiatives to improve dogs' well-being. The new programs, made possible by funds from the estate of a northern Indiana entrepreneur, include establishing an Animal Behavior Clinic to help reduce the number of dogs destroyed each year because of behavior problems. "Problem behavior is a major killer of dogs in the United States," said Purdue Professor Alan M. Beck, an authority on the interaction between people and animals. About 10 percent of dogs enter humane shelters annually, about half of them for behavior disorders, he said. Ultimately, most of those dogs are put to death. "Animal owners often believe euthanasia is the only solution," said Beck, who helped develop the new initiatives. "They fail to realize that behavior such as aggression toward people, destructive actions when left alone, and soiling habits can be corrected." Dr. Hugh B. Lewis, dean of the veterinary school, said more research and other resources need to be directed toward helping solve the problem of many animals being needlessly destroyed. "Surgery and pharmaceutical agents such as Prozac to manage behavioral disorders and modify behavior patterns is a new and growing science," Lewis said. "Unfortunately, there's little or no funding for behavior research or clinical behavior programs." Income from an endowment created with a $1.1 million gift from the estate of Byron Root will fund the new clinic, to be directed by a specialist in animal behavior. Among the clinic's goals are to: • Conduct studies on the causes and treatment of dog behavior problems. • Provide continuing education for veterinarians and educational materials for dog owners. • Develop new behavior courses for the veterinary school's curricula. • Establish a telephone consultation service to provide animal owners and veterinarians with advice and information on behavior disorders. The clinic will be among a handful of its kind at U.S. veterinary schools. Others exist at the University of Pennsylvania, Texas A&M, Cornell University and the University of California-Davis. Funding from the Root estate also will make possible two other initiatives: studies of dog overpopulation and ways to control it' including an early spay/neuter program, and treatment of naturally occurring diseases in dogs. The effort to control dog overpopulation will involve the development of a statewide educational program that will encourage veterinarians to neuter or spay dogs earlier – before they have their first litter. "Despite the clear advantages of early neutering, it's been common practice not to sterilize young dogs," Dr. Richard A. Goebel, director of Purdue's Veterinary Teaching Hospital, said. "Moreover, the public and many veterinarians aren't fully aware of the new advances in anesthesia and surgery that make early neutering very safe." The early neutering program will begin as a pilot program in Porter County, followed by statewide distribution through the Indiana Veterinary Medical Association. It will train veterinarians in early-neuter techniques and provide educational materials for dog owners and school children. In addition, Purdue's Center for Applied Ethology and Human-Animal Interaction will study why owners give up their pets for adoption. The findings will be used to develop an adoption program that animal shelters in Indiana can use to address such issues as how best to help people select a pet and how to counsel new owners. Ethology is the study of animals in their natural environment. The estate gift also will create the Byron Root Canine Care Endowment to pay expenses of owners who can't afford certain diagnostic and medical procedures for pets with naturally occurring diseases such as cancer and liver failure. "Many times pet owners need help caring for dogs suffering from diseases. That care could yield valuable information on cause and prevention," Goebel said. "The new fund will benefit those who can't afford such care and, in so doing, will provide more real-life learning for our students." Goebel said the Veterinary Teaching Hospital is setting criteria for the broad range of medical and surgical situations that will be covered by the funds. Dogs that have a reasonable chance of living a comfortable and healthy life after the treatment will be considered, he said. In the first year, dogs from northern Indiana will be given preference, because that is where Root lived. Root, who died in 1979, specif1ed in his will that proceeds from his estate go to benefit the dog population in Indiana. An advisory board was formed under the direction of the Lake Circuit Court to implement the trust. Board members were Beck; Dr. Robert Ferguson, a former practicing veterinarian who's now chief financial officer of Correct Construction Co., Portage; and Dr. Larry McAfee, vice president of the State Board of Animal Health and owner of several veterinary practices around Valparaiso. Lily Schaefer, an attorney with Burke, Murphy, Costanza & Cuppy, Merrillville, was legal adviser to the board. Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu