Use of and satisfaction of pet owners with a clinical behavior service in a companion animal specialty referral practice.

Objective—To determine whether availability of a veterinary behavior service aids in the recruitment of clients to a referral practice who may not have chosen to visit a referral practice otherwise and to assess the priorities and satisfaction of first-time clients. Design—Prospective survey study. Sample—87 questionnaires completed by pet owners. Procedures—Owners of dogs and cats visiting the Behavior Medicine Clinic, a veterinary behavior service, at The Ohio State University Veterinary Medical Center for the first time were asked to participate in a 10-question survey at the end of their initial appointment. Results—59 of 87 (68%) new clients had never visited the Veterinary Medical Center for any other specialty service; in addition, 56 of 87 (64%) had never taken a pet to any specialty practice prior to their appointment with the Behavior Medicine Clinic. Seventy-four of 85 (87%) clients reported that they were likely to bring their pet to another specialty service on the basis of their experience w...