“Behavior is the outward expression of an animal’s internal state,” says Dr. Elena Marchetti, a board-certified veterinary behaviorist at Cornell University. “When a parrot plucks its feathers, we used to call it ‘bad habit.’ Now we ask: Is it liver disease? Heavy metal toxicity? Or chronic pain from arthritis we haven’t diagnosed yet?”
“Owners would say, ‘He’s just getting old and grumpy,’” notes Dr. Marchetti. “But that grumpiness was the lameness.” zooskool.
One study from the University of Sydney showed that changes in a dog’s nighttime activity, detected by a collar, could predict a painful ear infection with 87% accuracy. Another found that dairy cows spend less time feeding and more time lying down in the 48 hours before developing mastitis. “Behavior is the outward expression of an animal’s