Animal Behavior Clinic of New Jersey

Our dog, Baker recently developed a level of anxiety which made it hard for him to function as a loving member of our household. He had a severe fear of the vet, but that began to consume him in the home. He would not let us groom him anymore. He would not share his toys, and he was beginning to bite us when we pet him. We went through many trainers and a professional behaviorist, and we’re ultimately recommended to Dr. Levine. She prescribed sertraline after a thorough evaluation of Baker. He’s only been on the medication a month and a half but we have seen dramatic changes with his anxiety and his comfort around our house, but also with strangers. We are so happy to have found Dr. Levine and to have started these meds and highly recommend her to anyone who is in a situation with their pet where their anxiety is consuming them, they’re unable to settle and beginning to bite their owners even though they know it’s wrong. So many people told us we should give our dog away or put him down but the amount of improvement we’ve seen on these meds and such a short time Is proof that those people people are wrong. And we owe a lot of that to Dr. Levine.

posted: 02/27/2024

Dr Levine helped us with our rescue dog Lemon. He was a stray and came to us with a lot of fears. She prescribed medication that helped his PTSD. It made him less anxious and just a happier dog. We're looking forward to further training with Lemon now that he is better able to learn. The office staff has been very helpful and kind. I'm a Registered Nurse and pretty demanding when it comes to health care. Everyone has gone above and beyond to help us. We highly reccomend Animal Behavior Clinic.

posted: 01/11/2024

Brody was a very special Mother’s Day gift to me by my son. I already had one perfect Shih Tzu who passed, and another living and being perfect with my cat. Brody was a welcomed addition to our family until the nipping and biting was no longer “puppy behavior”. I had three different trainers, none of whom helped until the last one I had at Petco. She was gut honest. “Your dog has behavioral issues and you need to see someone if you want this relationship to work out”. Dr. Levine was highly recommended by my own vet, so our first appointment with (our loving contact name on my cell phone) Dr. Psycho Vet aka Dr. Emily Levine, was scheduled. I had a long, uninterrupted visit detailing how I hated my dog but I so wanted to love him as I did when I brought him home. After a long testing appointment to insure Brody was not in physical pain, it was determined that he would be treated with Reconcile (doggie Prozac) and gabapentin for the short term. I wanted to help this poor little guy, not throw him back to someone else who definitely would have euthanized him. So months of medication, patience, patience, patience followed. The start of re-training by me was gradual. It was a constant battle. However, after a few months, the Good Brody started to gradually appear. What appeared as aggression was really so much anxiety within this little guy. I was feeding into it. I would yell and scream at him. I knew this had to stop. I never did this with my children, let alone a furry family member. So I started to train myself. There was no yelling at him for bad behavior. I started to ignore or distract him until he realized it was going to be okay and he calmed down on his own. This is just a nutshell of what I have been through the past year. Dr. Levine was not just Brody’s patient, I too had become a product of her skilled and analytical ability to understand not only the pet but the human associated with their care. Dr. Levine talks to you, not in generalizations, but to you as the caregiver and your pet as your special family member. It has been a slow process but the reward was I love my dog. He’s my best friend. Yes, he has behavioral issues I will never quite understand, but I have been trained on how to deal with them. Learning to live with a pet with a disability, whether a physical one you see, or a behavioral one you experience, is time consuming and draining. But so swell worth it. I highly recommend Dr. Levine. She is caring and concerned, and has an excellent staff that support her.

posted: 11/07/2022

We had such a great experience with Dr. Levine and staff! She was very thorough with our kitty and issues we were having with our two cats fighting - helping to make our home much more peaceful! I highly recommend her expertise to all!

posted: 12/06/2023

I cannot say enough good things about this clinic and Dr. Levine, but I will try. There was a loooong waiting list to get here and it was worth the wait. I asked my Petco trainer for a good behaviorist and he said -- there's only one, Dr. Levine. My vet said the same thing (their referral page had one name). They are correct! Dr. Levine was generous with her time and kind with my dog. She was empathetic, understanding, and looking for the underlying cause that could make my dog aggressive. She didn't write off his behavior as problematic, she attempted to deal with the root cause. She gave us probiotics, hormones -- gentle tools and they made a significant difference already! She also saw something wasn't right with his leg (how did she see it? an incredibly trained eye!), and offered a digitherm scan which found an issue! Amazing, truly. I feel like my dog will get a second chance at being his best self due to her care. Oh, and she helped me with insurance as well! Dr. Levine is a miracle worker and her whole team takes this seriously and professionally. One of my favorite all time vendors, and best animal care we've ever received. I'm so grateful for the ABC of NJ!

posted: 08/26/2023