Andrea Morden-Moore, MS, DVM

 

 

 

Andrea is a University of Illinois alumna, having earned her Bachelor's degree in Ecology, Ethology, and Evolution, followed up with a Master's in Evolutionary Ecology.  Ethology is the study of Animal Behavior.    As an undergarduate, she took several behavior classes and also did library research for one of her Professors on Animal Play, receiving an acknowledgement in his book.

 

After working for the University for about twenty years, she went to veterinary school and earned her Bachelor's in Veterinary Science in 1999, and her DVM in 2001.  She "custom tracked" in Animal Behavior, and spent a few months at the Animal Behavior clinics at Cornell University and University of Califonia Davis.   She stays current on the veterinary behavior literature, and attends Behavior symposia whenever possible.  Andrea is  a member of The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB), the Animal Behavior Society, and International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC).  Veterinary Behavior is a relatively new field, and not many institutions offered residencies, when Andrea graduated from veterinary school. Thus Andrea is a self-motivated, self-taught, Animal Behaviorist with a Veterinary Degree.

 

Many behavior problems are derived from an underlying health problems, such as the pain from a chronic ear infection, orthopedic pain, or an underlying chemical imbalance.  Veterinarians can prescribe medications that work in concert with behavior modification.  Unfortunately, there isn't a "pill" to correct behavior.  Medications just facilitate a pet's learning new ways to cope.  Andrea will work with you to get to the bottom of your pet's problem, and to change behavior patterns that have made an unpleasant, if not dangerous, situation in your household.

 

Andrea has trained and shown dogs for over thirty years, in obedience, rally obedience, agility, lure coursing, scent work, and several other fun activities with her French Bulldogs.  Frenchies are not noted to be particularly trainable.  One just has to find the right motivation!

 

Andrea worked in clinical practice for several years after graduation, frustrated with never being able to spend the required time with clients to help them with behavior problems.  She spent another three years working at an Animal Poison Control center as a consulting veterinary toxicologist.  She broke out on her own part-time in 2011, and is now ready for more challenges in pursuing her passion of helping pets with behavior problems.