Pet Therapy Has Its Place in Healthcare

• Pet therapy, also known as animal-assisted therapy (AAT), involves using dogs, cats, or other animals to help in recovery from physical, emotional, and mental health issues. 
• It can assist with lowering blood pressure, improving overall cardiovascular health, and improving a patient’s mood by triggering the release of endorphins and dopamine. 
• As a bonus, therapy dogs visiting the nurse’s station can also bring smiles to the staff, contributing to a positive work environment and acknowledging the crucial role of healthcare professionals in the healing process. 

In today’s healthcare structure, multiple types of therapies are used to advance the health and wellness of patients, such as music, art, play, behavioral, and group therapies. Pet therapy, also known as animal-assisted therapy or AAT, involves using dogs, cats, or other pet animals to assist individuals in their recovery from both physical, emotional, and mental health-related issues

The roots of pet therapy can be traced back to the 19th century, a testament to its enduring value. The potential use of animals in patient care was first recognized in the late 1800s when Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing, discovered that the use of small pets helped ease anxiety in children and adults living in psychiatric facilities. Pet therapy has come an exceptionally long way since then, solidifying its place in modern healthcare practices. 

The Value of Pet Therapy

Therapists agree that pet therapy has healing powers that assist patients in the hospital setting on their journey to recovery. Animals, large or small, bring comfort to patients, in addition to staff members. Pet therapy encourages the human/animal bond, which many patients enjoy and look forward to. It can assist with physiological health issues, such as lowering blood pressure and improving overall cardiovascular health. But perhaps the most significant impact is on a patient’s mood.

Pet therapy triggers the release of endorphins and dopamine, leading to mood improvement and feelings of happiness. This can help patients forget their suffering, even if just for a short time. Animals have a calming effect on people, and even more so on patients who might experience loneliness and isolation during their hospital stay. They consider the arrival of a pet and its therapist a short respite from whatever put them in the hospital to begin with. These therapy animals can break through the pain a patient may be feeling, providing a much-needed emotional boost.

Becoming a Therapy Pet

Pet therapy can also assist in improving motor skills and movement, encouraging a patient to raise their arm and pet the animal. A small pet makes it a little easier! It can also promote verbal communication with the pet and its trainer, especially for a recovering stroke patient who is having difficulty with speech. Patients undergoing specific chemo treatments enjoy seeing the animals, even from a distance, as it brightens their day and brings a smile.

Therapy teams, such as those at Creature Comfort, which operates in New Jersey, develop a treatment plan and work one-on-one under the direction of a professional therapist. They make regularly scheduled visits to facilities that allow pets to visit patients. The visits are usually about one to one-and-a-half hours long and typically consist of one or two teams. Pets can visit veterans in a hospital who might be experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), schools for Reading to Dogs program, schools for special needs children, rehabilitation centers, adult day programs, or even a local event or conference. They have also been to airports to greet passengers and give some comfort to travelers who might have a fear of flying. 

Any breed can be trained to work as a therapy dog, but some are used more often than others. Labradors are a top choice due to their gentle nature and mannerisms. A smaller breed, such a pug or beagle, could be used if a patient is timid around dogs. The dog needs to be trained and certified by a therapy dog organization. The training center will list your dog’s requirements to join the therapy team. The dogs must be in good health, up to date with vaccinations, and have lived with the owner for at least six months. The dogs must be able to accept a friendly stranger and allow petting. They also need to be able to sit or lie down on command and come when called. There are numerous testing classes for dogs and handlers who must be 18 or older. 

Therapy Dogs in Action

Seeing the therapy dogs enter the nurses’ station in the Emergency Department (ED) also brought smiles to the staff, as many of us got down to pet the puppies. There is one story to which I can relate. A nursing peer who has been a Pet Therapy trainer for a long time shared a beautiful but sad experience she encountered with her two Labrador Retrievers, Page and Story. Get your tissues out!

In January 2023, she received a call for a Pet Therapy team to visit an 8-year-old girl just diagnosed with cancer who was coming home from hospital that day. The parents thought a visit from a therapy dog might help give a little cheer to their daughter, who loved dogs. My friend accepted the challenge and took Page, her younger dog, to visit the girl. Page was beautiful with the young girl, but the visit did not go as well as expected and only lasted about 15 minutes. It was uncomfortable and not successful. My friend felt terrible and felt that she let this young patient and her family down.

She later received a call from the girl’s school, requesting a pet therapy visit to the girl’s third-grade class. The hope was that the dog could mingle and make everyone feel at ease when the girl returned from chemotherapy. A counselor was present with the dog, Story, and she answered questions from classmates. When the young cancer patient returned to school, Story, the older Lab, went right to the patient and put her head in her lap.

The girl was thrilled when she saw Story, as she remembered the visits during her hospital stay. Story and Page are therapy pros and know exactly what to do when entering a patient’s room. It becomes a beautiful relationship between the dogs and patients. There is love, warmth, companionship, and healing on some level. My friend felt happiness and joy that this experience proved much better than the original visit and that the patient and the dogs felt camaraderie and friendship with each other and their classmates.

Unfortunately, the 8-year-old patient lost her brave battle with cancer one year later. However, in the experience, there was so much love, tenderness, and adoration between this little girl and two beautiful therapy dogs, Page and Story. 

The Bottom Line

Pet therapy is beneficial for many populations and can heal those in need. Those benefits must be considered to increase its usage in the healthcare system. A pet’s healing effects can be amazing and offer benefits that can’t be administered by humans.

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