In his latest book, Pets on the Couch: Neurotic Dogs, Compulsive Cats, Anxious Birds, and the New Science of Animal Psychiatry, pioneering veterinarian and New York Times best-selling author Nicholas Dodman, DVM, explores the psychological side of One Medicine, a groundbreaking theory that involves medically treating animals and humans similarly. Dr. Dodman, who lives in North Grafton and is recently retired (though he serves as professor emeritus at Tufts and is a veterinarian consultant), took the time to chat about the science behind his new book.

How would you explain One Medicine?
All mammals, including us, are designed according to the same basic blueprint – they all have a four-chamber heart, a set of lungs, a liver and kidneys. Their muscles, bones and tendons are a cookie-cutter design to our own, as are their brains and spinal cord. … If you know how to treat diabetes in a person, you know how to treat it in a cat, pig or horse. Ditto for heart and kidney disease, etc. These parallels (with only minor differences) lead to the concept of One Medicine. Learn how to treat one mammalian species, and you’ll have a good handle on how to treat it in another. My book extends the One Medicine concept to psychological, and even psychiatric treatments, that can be borrowed in either direction for the benefit of all.

Why have you been getting pushback on this theory?
People like to think of themselves as unique. I call it “human exceptionalism.” In reality, we have more in common with animals than we have differences. Those parallels reach to similar brain structure, brain centers and neurotransmitters. … Some do not like to credit a “mere animal” with any human attributes, but they are wrong.

Do you see it gaining steam in the coming years?
I see people looking back in 25 or 50 years and saying, “We treated animals so horribly in those days. How could we have not realized they are sentient beings with thoughts and emotions similar to our own?” … The tide is already turning. I am optimistic for the future when it comes to animal welfare, but we have a long way to go.

What are the odds of pets having behavioral issues?
Forty-two to 90 percent of owners report some kind of behavioral issues with their pets. It’s a 50-50 shot at best in terms of whether your pet acts out in ways you’d prefer it doesn’t.

Is there one animal you see more often than others?
I see more dogs than cats, birds or horses. That’s mainly because there are a lot of dogs around, and owners believe they can be helped or retrained. There are more cats around than dogs, and cats have an equal number of behavioral issues, but owners seem to tolerate more from their cats (who are smaller and less vocal) and erroneously believe that you can’t retrain a cat.

What do you hope readers take away?
I hope they will understand that our animals have much more in common with us than many think. This will lead to kinder treatment and a great understanding of the issues they face.

Photo credit Kevin Ma, Tufts University