Purina Pro Plan Veterinary has partnered with Ease, an online platform for veterinary behavior specialty care, as part of the Pro Plan Veterinary Support Mission initiative.
Pet behavioral issues are a top client concern for veterinary practices and are among the leading reasons that animals are surrendered or euthanized, despite being treatable in most cases with the right expertise and approach. According to Purina, more than 70% of dogs and up to 50% of cats exhibit stress and anxiety-related behavior, yet only 0.07% of practicing veterinarians in the U.S. are board-certified veterinary behaviorists.
Ease allows veterinary practices to access expert behavioral support from its team of board-certified veterinary behaviorists, each a licensed Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists (DACVB), at no cost. The Pro Plan Veterinary partnership will expand Ease's ability to make behavioral treatment accessible to pet parents nationwide, while keeping general practice veterinarians at the center of care.
"Veterinarians face behavioral issues from clients every day, and it is incredibly hard on them when they cannot provide the support their patients need. That gap not only affects pets and their families but weighs heavily on the vets and techs who care so deeply," said Brandy Kuentzel, Ease co-founder and CEO. "This partnership helps close that gap by raising awareness of behavioral issues in practices and by increasing the ability to access expert behavioral care so every pet family can get specialist-level help without delay."
The collaboration is part of the Pro Plan Veterinary Support Mission, launched in 2024 to address challenges that veterinarians often face in practice.
"Animal behavioral care is a specialty that many vet clinics sorely need and often cannot access," said Callie Harris, DVM, Purina Pro Plan Veterinary. "Through our partnership with Ease, we're helping to raise awareness and let clinics know that help from board-certified veterinary behaviorists exists so they can continue to focus on patient care and their own well-being."
Ease's online platform allows veterinarians to submit behavioral cases for review. Ease then offers clients a structured behavior program, while the veterinarian provides medication and testing with DACVB guidance. Clients receive their own online pet portal with a tailored treatment plan, on-demand videos, training tutorials and email support for training and behavioral questions.
One of the tools used by Ease practitioners is Calming Care from Pro Plan Veterinary Supplements, which contains a strain of beneficial bacteria shown to help dogs and cats maintain calm behavior.
For more information, visit ProPlanVetSupport.com and EasePetVet.com.
