Animal Progress - Dr Sally Nixon

19/08/2026

🌟 We’re so excited to see Dr Sally Nixon featured in VET Practice magazine! 🌟

This is such a wonderful opportunity for Sally to share her knowledge and passion for veterinary behavioural medicine with the wider veterinary community.

In the article, Sally highlights an important message for veterinarians: behaviour problems can be signs of underlying anxiety, fear, pain, illness and/or chronic stress. Recognising these signs early can make a huge difference to the lives of animals and their families, helping patients receive the right care before they spend months or even years struggling without appropriate support.

We are incredibly proud of Sally and the work she does to advocate for better recognition and treatment of behavioural health in veterinary patients. ❤️🐾

It’s fantastic to see her expertise and dedication being recognised in VET Practice magazine, and we can’t wait for everyone to read the article!
https://www.vetpracticemag.com.au/meet-veterinary-behaviour-specialist-dr-sally-nixon/

Congratulations, Sally! We’re very proud of you! 🎉👏

11/08/2026

A huge congratulations to Dr Sally Nixon! 🎉

During Science Week on the Gold Coast, Sally was officially presented with the Fellowship Award. This is a wonderful recognition of her dedication and commitment to the field of Veterinary Behavioural Medicine.

We are incredibly proud of this outstanding achievement and everything Sally does to improve the lives of pets and their families. 🐾

Congratulations, Sally, on this well-deserved recognition.

While at Science Week, Sally also organised Residents' Day, bringing together Australia's Veterinary Behavioural Medicine residents for a day of learning, collaboration, and case discussions. It was a fantastic opportunity for the next generation of veterinary behaviour specialists to connect, share knowledge, and learn.

22/07/2026

Thinking about creating a catio for your cat?😸🌳

A catio is a fantastic way to give your cat the sights, sounds, and enrichment of the outdoors while keeping them safe from traffic and other hazards, while also protecting local wildlife.

This article shares practical tips on planning and designing a catio, along with ideas to make it a fun, comfortable, and enriching space for your cat.

Take a look and discover how you can give your cat the best of both worlds! 🐾

Activities like watching birds, butterflies, or outdoor movement provide important mental and physical stimulation for cats. While independent outdoor access is not always safe, a secure “catio” offers a great alternative for safe, enriching experiences.

Check out this article to explore how to design a catio that supports enrichment, safety, and overall wellbeing!

https://www.fearfreehappyhomes.com/catio-life/

03/07/2026

🐱Understanding Why Gentle Handling Matters for Cats💙

For a long time, holding a cat by the loose skin on the back of their neck was seen as a normal way to restrain them. But we now know this approach is very scary for them.

Cats feel safest when they have some sense of choice and control. When they’re heavily restrained, especially in unfamiliar places like vet clinics or grooming salons, it can make an already stressful situation even harder for them to cope with.

A more cat-friendly approach focuses on gentle handling, minimal restraint, and working with the cat rather than against them. 🐾Giving cats the opportunity to stay in comfortable positions and reducing unnecessary pressure can lead to calmer appointments, safer handling, and a much better experience for everyone involved. 🐈✨

International Cat Care Position Statement on Scruffing Cats https://icatcare.org/position-statements/position-statement-on-scruffing-cats

Has your vet completed further education with any of these organisations? If not, feel free to share these websites with them.

iCat Care - https://icatcare.org/cat-friendly-clinic
Fear Free Vets - https://www.fearfree.com/
Low Stress Handling - https://cattledogpublishing.com/LSH/
Stress Free Pets - https://stress-free-pets.com/en/about/

30/06/2026

It's been a busy and exciting couple of months!

🐾 Sally and I (Bec) have travelled to Melbourne to run workshops for the Bachelor of Veterinary Nursing and Technology students at Melbourne Polytechnic. We’re passionate about helping future veterinary nurses build a strong foundation in animal behaviour and welfare, and we’re excited to be returning to Melbourne every Monday throughout the second semester to teach the Behaviour subject.

🐶 We also hosted our first Puppy Class Workshop for vets and vet nurses, sharing practical ideas and strategies for running successful puppy classes that benefit puppies, their families, and veterinary clinics.

💻 June was the Veterinary Behavior Symposium for the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists, which was luckily online again this year, so Sally did not need to travel to the US to attend. Last week, Sally presented a webinar for the Australian Veterinary Behavioural Medicine group of the AVA, Early recognition of significant issues - the approach and management of behaviour problems in animals.

🧡 Family Vet Centre invited us to run an information session on animal behaviour and collaborative care, a service we provide that focuses on teaching caregivers and their pets about consent-based care. It was a great opportunity to share how this approach can support both patient welfare and positive veterinary experiences.

📚 In July, Sally will be heading to the Gold Coast for Science Week, where she is presenting at Residents' Day, as well as 4 sessions during Science Week.

Thanks for following along and keeping up with what we've been up to. We appreciate your support! 🐾

26/06/2026

Thanks so much to the Family Vet Centre for inviting us to run an information session with your team on Animal Behaviour and Collaborative Care. We were really excited to be invited and to spend time with your team.

We love working with local clinics and supporting veterinary teams to build their knowledge and confidence in these areas.

Thank you again to the whole team at Family Vet Centre for the warm welcome and for having us 💚

25/06/2026

Why Every Dog Should Learn to Wear a Muzzle

Let’s bust a common myth:
A dog wearing a muzzle is not automatically an “aggressive dog.”

In fact, muzzle training is simply another life skill - just like learning to wear a harness, travel in the car, or settle on a mat.

A muzzle can be helpful for all sorts of dogs and situations, including:
🐾 Dogs who love to snack on mystery items during walks
🐾 Nervous dogs who need a little extra support in busy environments
🐾 Vet visits, grooming appointments, or emergency situations
🐾 Recovery after injury or surgery

The truth is, even the sweetest dog in the world can feel scared, uncomfortable, or overwhelmed if they’re in pain or put in a stressful situation.

That’s why muzzle training is about preparation, not punishment.

Muzzle Conditioning - https://cattledogpublishing.com/blog/muzzle-conditioning/
Muzzle training with Chirag Patel - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FABgZTFvHo

22/06/2026

Did you know there's a fantastic free resource dedicated to reducing fear, anxiety, and stress in pets?

Fear Free Happy Homes provides pet owners with expert advice, practical tips, and enrichment ideas to support both the physical and emotional wellbeing of their pets. Whether at home, the vet, or the groomer, these resources can help your furry family members live happier, healthier lives.

Check out the website and discover some great information for your pets! 🐾

https://www.fearfreehappyhomes.com/

What would you like to learn to help your pets today?

11/05/2026

Cats can be incredibly loving, full of character, and very expressive but they are also naturally very good at masking when something isn’t right 🐱

While this is part of their natural instinct, it can make it really challenging for us to notice when they may be experiencing pain or discomfort.

The signs are often very subtle. It might be a slight change in behaviour, a different routine, or just a sense that something is “not quite right” 🐾

Click the link below to learn more.

Could you tell if your cat was in pain? 🐱

iCatCare’s very own Alex Taylor, Cat Wellbeing and Behaviour Advisor, is sharing her advice on recognising the signs of pain in cats through their behaviour in her blog, written specially for National Pet Month 👉 https://nationalpetmonth.org/2026/04/13/behavioural-signs-of-pain-in-cats/

Plus, catch-up with Alex in conversation, broadcast last week on the National Pet Month page, sharing her tips on spotting if your cat is in pain and the practical steps you can take.

Our website is packed with helpful cat friendly tips and information to help you 👉 https://icatcare.org/

And don’t forget to sign up to our cat friendly community newsletter for extra tips and information direct to your inbox 📨 https://go.icatcare.org/community

07/05/2026

A big thank you to all of the vets and vet nurses who came along to our Puppy Class Workshop last week! 🐾🐶 Thanks for joining us, we loved meeting you all 💛

It was so great to have such a lovely group there, with some clinics already running puppy classes and other clinics looking to get started. We loved discussing all things puppy classes, sharing ideas and practical tips, and exploring how clinics can run puppy classes in-house to help keep puppy education, behaviour support, and puppy training within the veterinary industry 🩺🐾

Puppy classes are not just about training. They’re a valuable way for vet clinics to support puppies and their families right from the start, while building positive associations with the clinic and strengthening relationships with both clients and puppies 🐶

We’re looking forward to running this workshop again in the future for clinics who weren’t able to make it this time around! 🐾

If you are a vet clinic who would like up to date puppy class support, feel free to reach out.