Outsourcing Pet Behavior Services: A Future-Ready Model for Veterinary Practices

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In this episode of the Veterinary Business Podcast, host Don Adeesha sits down with Dr. Rolan Tripp, a veterinary futurist, certified animal behavior consultant, and founder of the Pet Happiness Network, to explore why behavior cases are among the most stressful challenges for veterinary practices. Dr. Tripp shares his unique background, including his veterinary roots and early futurist writings, and explains how veterinarians are evolving into broader roles as unbiased experts in ethics, law, and AI behavior. The conversation highlights the physical impact of stress on animals—such as stress cystitis and psychodermatology—and argues for routine stress screening in clinics. Dr. Tripp also addresses the scarcity of boarded behaviorists and the disconnect between vets and trainers, proposing a scalable solution through the Pet Happiness Network: AI-driven screening, standardized behavior definitions, and access to credentialed specialists while keeping the clinic central to care and revenue. Looking ahead, he envisions a future where micro-specialists and AI tools help clinics manage complex cases more efficiently, improve outcomes, and reduce staff burnout.

Key Takeaways & Time Stamps

• 00:00 – 05:00 | Introduction and Guest Background
  Host Don Adeesha opens by addressing the stress of behavior cases in veterinary practices and introduces Dr. Rolan Tripp, a veterinary futurist, certified animal behavior consultant, and founder of pethappiness.net. Dr. Tripp shares his second-generation veterinary roots, his 1984 article countering Orwell’s dystopian view of technology with optimistic predictions on telecommunications, and parallels from his music and philosophy degrees to creative problem-solving in vet medicine.​
• 05:00 – 12:00 | Veterinary Futurism and Broader Role
  Dr. Tripp redefines “veterinary” as expert, unbiased examination beyond animal health, positioning vets as future “vettors” for businesses, ethics, law, and AI behavior due to diagnostic skills and reward-based training expertise. He highlights the Veterinary Future Society at veterinaryfuturesociety.org, his 2011 international keynote, and predicts vets’ rising demand amid social media falsehoods.​
• 12:00 – 20:00 | Behavior Case Challenges and Stress Links
  Practices face overload from 1-2 hour in-house behavior consults; Dr. Tripp advocates peripheral fear-free methods but stresses severe emotional issues manifest physically via genetics’ weak links. Key examples include renaming idiopathic cystitis to stress cystitis, psychodermatology like stress-induced paw licking, and routine screening for stress-affected organs (bladder, stomach, skin) akin to hematocrit tests.​
• 20:00 – 35:00 | In-House vs Distributed Models and Pet Happiness Network
  Boarded behaviorists (only ~100 worldwide) are ideal but scarce; local trainers lack vet integration, creating bottlenecks. Dr. Tripp’s solution: free AI-driven Pet Happiness Rating (0-100 scale) with 100+ standardized behavior definitions, scalable screening via questionnaires distributed at low staff impact, outsourcing to credentialed network experts under local VCPR, including labs (UCCR home urine cortisol test), meds (e.g., Prozac markup), and handoffs for revenue.​
• 35:00 – 56:00 | Outsourcing Fears, Micro-Specialists, and Future Vision
  Quality control addressed via vetted behaviorists/trainers, consistent protocols, and record-keeping; future AI agents scale support. Micro-specialists (DVM-licensed niche experts, e.g., koi fish or specific behaviors) sell mark-up protocols globally. Clinics retain control, bonding, and profit; call for early adopters to pioneer data collection for AI pattern recognition in behavior and beyond.

Rolan Tripp, DVM, CABC

Founder, Pet Happiness Network
Founder, Veterinary Future Society

Dr. Rolan Tripp is a veterinary futurist, certified animal behavior consultant, and longtime innovator in veterinary telecommunications, with more than four decades of experience shaping the future of veterinary medicine. A graduate of the University of California, Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Tripp has been exploring the intersection of veterinary care, behavior, and technology since the early days of digital communication.

With a professional focus on animal behavior, stress reduction, and health promotion, Dr. Tripp is certified by the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants and provides remote behavior consultations to veterinary teams and pet families across the United States and internationally. His work emphasizes improving patient outcomes by identifying and reducing sources of stress that impact health, behavior, and treatment success.

Dr. Tripp is the founder of Pet Happiness Network, an innovative platform designed to support veterinary practices through stress analysis, teleconsultations, behavioral insights, and collaborative care tools that enhance both clinical decision-making and client relationships. Through this work, he helps practices integrate behavior, diagnostics, and communication into a more comprehensive model of care.

A pioneer in televeterinary medicine, Dr. Tripp founded Veterinary Telecommunications in 1986 and has remained a leading voice in the evolution of remote veterinary services. He later established the Veterinary Future Society, a think tank dedicated to exploring emerging trends, technologies, and models that will define the next generation of veterinary practice. He also serves as a founder and Executive Director of the Televeterinary Coalition, a collaborative network of veterinary stakeholders focused on responsible, forward-thinking telemedicine adoption.

Dr. Tripp is a sought-after speaker and thought leader on the future of veterinary practice, telemedicine, and digital care delivery. He has delivered keynote addresses and lectures at major industry events, including the CanWest International Veterinary Meeting and the Veterinary Innovation Summit, and has been featured in Veterinary Practice News for his insights on televeterinary practice. His writing and advocacy continue to influence how veterinary professionals think about access to care, technology, and long-term sustainability.

Based in Vancouver, Washington, Dr. Tripp remains deeply committed to advancing veterinary medicine through innovation, collaboration, and education—helping practices adapt to change while keeping animal wellbeing and the human–animal bond at the center of care.

Connect with Dr. Tripp:

• LinkedIn
• Website