PAWS Chicago News item | PAWS Chicago

PAWS Through the Eyes of a Student

Jun 14, 2022

As part of Katie Manika’s last year of vet school, she joined PAWS for an externship in which she shadowed shelter vets, getting an inside look at what it takes to help animals with even the most severe behavior issues. Hint: The solution involves adopters changing their behaviors, too!

Katie Manika is a 4th year student at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine. She’s also been a part of the PAWS Chicago externship program for several weeks.  

During this program, students are exposed to the full spectrum of shelter medicine, working alongside experienced shelter veterinarians to learn about infectious disease care and control, spay/neuter, animal welfare, behavior enrichment, and client education. 

At the end of the program, Katie gave a presentation to our Medical Team about her experience, focusing on animal behavior. Here are some of her takeaways.  

“Behavior has a link to medical concerns. It is so important to look at patients holistically,” said Katie.

Some animals exhibit fear, anxiety, and antisocial behavior because they’re physically hurting. For others, the pain is more nuanced. And while medication can be helpful, it’s not necessarily the solution.  

“It’s up to resources and consistency and routines to make sure these animals thrive in a shelter environment. But this isn't really possible in most shelters,” said Katie.  

Fortunately, thanks to PAWS’ Medical Center, training staff, volunteers, and foster network, we have the capacity and resources to help every animal that comes through our doors.  

But rehabilitation at PAWS is just the beginning. A lot still needs to happen post-adoption. 

“Our job as veterinarians is to make adopters aware of options, whether that be behavioral or medical. And there are certain habits not only with the animal but with the owner that need to change.” 

That’s right, it’s not just the pet’s job to learn and grow.

Adopters learn how their behavior impacts animals during our adoption counseling process and with the support of the PAWS Training Center. Actions that seem totally normal to us can actually be harmful.

“The classic example is when owners leave, they make a big deal about their animal, and when they come back, they also make a big deal about them. The bigger deal an owner makes, the bigger deal their departure seems to the animal.”

When an animal is still learning how to be alone, they may experience separation distress or even separation anxiety. Thankfully, there are lots of ways to gradually build an animal's confidence and comfort alone.

“You have to get habituated to leaving for increasing increments of time. So, you would start off leaving for half an hour. Then you come back, act like normal, and reward calm behavior.” 

Some people also like to play music or leave on a white noise machine, while they’re away to ease a pet’s anxiety. (Insider info: We play classical music all the time at the Medical Center and the animals love it!)  

And though it will take some time for any animal to get adjusted to a new home and new routine, the reward is immeasurable—finally getting to see an animal for who they truly are.  

“Once adopted, I like to use the “three”: three days, three weeks, three months. Three days is basically ‘all right, this is my new environment.’ Three weeks is getting settled into their routine with the owner. And three months is truly when the animal’s personality comes out,” says Katie.  

Are you ready to start a journey with your new best friend?  

Meet Adoptable Pets