Expanding referral networks connecting general veterinary practices with behavioral specialists improves access to welfare-critical behavioral medicine for companion animals across geographic regions.
Referral network development for veterinary behavioral medicine is a welfare infrastructure challenge. The small number of certified specialists relative to the companion animal population means that most animals with behavioral problems never reach specialist care. Building capacity requires multiple parallel strategies: expanding the specialist pipeline, training primary care veterinarians in behavioral first aid, and developing telehealth models that make distance consultation feasible. Every animal with a behavioral problem that receives appropriate diagnosis and treatment instead of inappropriate management or euthanasia is a welfare success attributable to better referral infrastructure.