Pet Behavior Challenges: Knowing What and When to Prescribe

Behavior challenges among canine and feline patients are inevitable, and COVID-19 has magnified some issues, especially for puppies and dogs. Learn more about the consequences of social isolation for COVID puppies, and how COVID has affected dogs with separation anxiety. Then, get an update on behavior medications for cats and dogs. Learn what treatments you can use, when you should recommend them, how you should advise your clients, and how you can monitor their use for safety and efficacy.

Speaker

Fiia A. Jokela, DVM, DABVP
Dr. Jokela received her veterinary medical degree from Purdue University in 1990 and achieved board certification by the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners (ABVP) in canine and feline practice in 1998. She has practiced in a variety of clinical settings in the Chicago and Northwest Indiana areas, including starting her own general practice in 2001. She currently is a resident in the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists (ACVB).

Dr. Jokela’s interest in behavior began in 2010 and was first inspired by the work of Dr. Sophia Yin. Her second inspiration was her dog, Bentley, a stray pup found on the tough urban streets that struggled with extreme anxiety and fear. It did not take long to discover that helping dogs and cats with behavioral challenges was the most rewarding work she had ever experienced in her veterinary career. In 2016, she left general practice to practice behavior medicine exclusively. She purchased Chicagoland Veterinary Behavior Consultants in 2017 from Dr. John Ciribassi, DACVB. She also sees post-adoption behavior cases for PAWS Chicago.

Dr. Jokela serves on the executive board of the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB) as their past president. She also serves on the AVSAB Position Statement Committee and on the committee that runs the joint AVSAB/SVBT Clinical Animal Behavior Conference.