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running time: DVD #1 - 1 hr. 53 min.
running time: DVD #2 - 1 hr. 15 min.
copyright: 2007
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IAABC (International Assoc of Animal Behavior
Consultants)
2007 Conference Keynote Speaker
FROM LEASHES TO NEURONS: How dogs think, why this matters, and
what we can learn from them about becoming more humane
Psychopharmacology has become a popular, and
sometimes mandatory addition to treatment regimes for canine and feline
patients with behavioral problems; however, clients and
practitioners should be dissuaded that behavioral drugs are 'quick
fixes'. Veterinarians should only prescribe psychotropic medication when
they have a specific idea of how the mechanism of action of the drug
will affect the target behaviors associated with a specific diagnosis.
The diagnosis must be treated rather than non-specific signs. Newer
psychotropic medications demonstrate the extent to which truly abnormal
behaviors are dysfunctions of neurochemistry; synaptic or cellular
metabolism; or genetic encoding and 'learning', or LTP, hence there is a
clear role for the interaction of neuropharmacology and behavioral and
environmental modification.
Future advances in treatment in behavioral
medicine will be pharmacological and neurophysiological. As the
field of behavioral medicine expands, its paradigm will enlarge to
include combination therapy and the implementation of
neuropharmacological intervention as a diagnostic tool. At present, the
veterinary practitioner can effectively aid many common behavioral
problems using extant drugs to treat animals with true behavioral
pathology. Rational pharmacological therapy requires complete medical
and behavioral histories, requisite laboratory work, complete client
understanding and compliance, and an honest and ongoing dialogue between
the client and veterinarian that includes frequent follow-ups and
re-examinations. © 2001 Harcoun Publishers Ltd
Dr. Karen Overall received her B.A. and M.A.
degrees concomitantly from the University of Pennsylvania in 1978. After
a year spent at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama
she was awarded her V.M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania, School
of Veterinary Medicine in 1983. She completed a residency in Behavioral
Medicine from the same school in 1989. Her Ph.D. in Zoology was awarded
by the University of Wisconsin ¬Madison for research focusing on mating
systems and physiology of a protected lizard.
Dr. Overall has given hundreds of national and
international presentations and short courses and is the author of over
100 publications on behavioral medicine and lizard behavioral ecology.
She has also been a regular columnist for both Canine and Feline
Practice journals and currently writes a bimonthly column for DVM
Newsmagazine. Her best selling textbook, Clinical Behavioral Medicine
for Small Animals, was published by Mosby in 1997. Her new book,
Handbook of Small Animal Behavioral Medicine, to be published by
Saunders, should be out by the end of year 2007.
Dr. Overall is a Diplomat of the American
College of Veterinary Behavior and is certified by the Animal Behavior
Society as an Applied Animal Behaviorist. Dr. Overall's research
interests focus on the development of genetic and behavioral animal
models for human psychiatric illness, particularly those involving
anxiety, panic, and aggression for which she has been generously and
continuously funded Dr. Overall frequently consults with service dog
organizations including military and narcotic dog groups, Guide Dogs for
the Blind, Canine Companions for Independence and with law makers
regarding legislation affecting dogs. She was awarded the 1993 Randy
Award for excellence and creativity in research and is frequently
honored to be a visiting scholar at a variety of universities. Her other
interests include integration of conservation biology into veterinary
medicine, international outreach and participation in student based
community outreach initiatives. Taped
IAABC Conference |
