Pet Therapy

We have all heard people say that a dog is a man’s best friend; this has proven to be even more true related to healthcare and the healing process if you or a loved one is burdened by a negative health condition.  There are many ways other ways therapy can be provided during times of compromised health such as with medication, physical therapy, occupational therapy, yoga, art therapy, music therapy, etc.  Pet therapy is another type of therapy that is becoming increasingly popular today.

Pet therapy is a broad term that includes both animal-assisted therapy and other animal-assisted activities.  Animal-assisted therapy is a growing area that uses dogs or other animals to help clients recover from, or to better cope with health problems.  An example of this therapy would be observing a blind person that has a dog in order for them to cope with their loss of vision.  The dog will help them to find objects and will direct them in their surroundings to prevent falls.  Animal-assisted therapy is also used to help clients recover from other health problems such as heart disease, cancer, and mental health disorders.

Animal-assisted activities serve a more general purpose.  These are the animals that are observed to provide comfort and enjoyment to clients in places such as nursing homes.  The nursing home may have a dog, cat, or birds for example.  The clients can observe and even become close with the animals to help make the nursing home feel even more like the home they were once used to.  Having pets around can also help to raise morale in nursing homes; for many clients pet therapy tends to lift their spirits if they know there is something guaranteed they can look forward to seeing every day.

Animal-assisted therapy may be offered by your provider for your treatment regimen.  If you choose to participate in animal-assisted therapy, you will be provided with all the information you need related to how the process will work depending on the type of animal and company policies.  Soon after you choose to participate you should meet the assistance animal, usually a dog, and its handler.  When meeting the animal and its handler, do not hesitate to ask questions to solidify that you still want to continue to participate.  After the visit, most clients will find themselves in better spirits and looking forward to telling everyone that their therapy is going to involve a pet, how neat!

Being involved with pet therapy, or just simply having a pet around, can significantly reduce pain, anxiety, depression, and fatigue in a wide variety of clients.  Being involved with a pet can simply just get your mind off of the negative things, and will lift your spirits.  As mentioned before, pet therapy can have a positive effect on several different types of clients, including:

ü  Children that are having dental procedure completed

ü  Clients receiving treatment for cancer

ü  Clients in nursing homes

ü  Clients hospitalized with chronic heart failure

ü  Veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder

Others that are involved with the client, such as family and friends, also are able to reap some of the benefits of the pet therapy.  If the family members and friends see that the ill person is in better spirits because of the pet, they will also tend to be happier and so on.  The wide range of benefits is such an advantage of pet therapy.

Yes, just like everything else, pet therapy has risks too.  The biggest concern, obviously, is one of safety and sanitation.  If pet therapy is used in hospitals or other facilities, there are generally very strict rules and procedures that have to be followed in order to maintain the best sanitation and safety as possible for all clients.  Also, it is mandatory that the animals used are always well-groomed, up to date with vaccinations, well trained, and screened routinely for appropriate behavior. 

Pet therapy is becoming more and more beneficial in the healthcare sector.  Pets may decrease the amount of anxiety and stress that a person feels in more effective, safer, and non-pharmacological ways and can have significantly less side effects than that of medication.  The reduction of anxiety and stress that a person feels can have a positive effect on the status of their health, and may prevent their condition from worsening, or even developing for that matter.  The question now is would you choose to participate in pet therapy?