For decades, the fields of veterinary medicine and animal behavior operated in parallel but separate lanes. A veterinarian’s job was to fix the "machine"—the biological body—while behavior was often dismissed as a matter of training or temperament.

The silent patient has been speaking all along. We are finally learning to hear.

Veterinary science no longer treats the animal in a vacuum. The human-animal bond is a quantifiable, powerful force. Disruption of animal behavior is a family crisis. Consequently, modern veterinary behavior science addresses (the positive benefits of pets on human health) and compassion fatigue (the toll on owners when their pet is suffering mentally).