Assisted therapy through animals has become a growing trend, but is it actually beneficial for the patients?
Therapy Dogs have been growing in popularity in recently following generational changes. The number of training groups have increased and so has the amount of patients willing to join programs. The use of therapy dogs generally for the same mission and goal, to have the trained dogs give affection, comfort, and love to people that need it, which could have potentially life-changing benefits (Gawlinski).
Their accompaniment can cause multiple health benefits such as helping individuals that are battling diseases or injuries. Some studies have been done specifically on patients with traumatic brain injuries, autism, rheumatoid arthritis, and increasing mobility. They are also very good at helping to ease depression and help socially challenged individuals deal with anxiety (Sturt). It has already been scientifically proven that therapy dogs can help lower anxiety, help relaxation, provide comfort, reduce loneliness, increase mental stimulation, and provide beneficial distractions (Gawlinski). These are all important mental health benefits. It is a common misconception that therapy dogs don’t work because they do not directly impact any positive medical changes in patients in hospitals and that they only work for emotional support. A huge fact supporting mental improvement through therapy dog assistance is that just petting a dog results in an automatic relaxation response caused by the influx of serotonin, prolactin, and oxytocin (Gawlinski). This is half true because although they do not provide any medical benefits for patients, they do help them emotionally through the process, which can have an effect on survival rates and general well-being. The physical health benefits that caused by dog assisted therapy is lowering blood pressure, improving cardiovascular health, reducing medication requirements, releasing positive hormones such as Phenethylamine, and reducing overall physical pain (Gawlinksi).
In addition, there is a verified medical research study by the American Heart Association’s Scientific Session from 2005 which revealed that just twelve minutes with a dog can help with multiple functions. These consist of improved lung and heart function due to lowering pressures, increases in resistance to release of harmful hormones, and decreases in anxiety specifically for hospitalized heart failure patients (Gawlinski). In the study, the level of stress hormones monitored through seventy-four patients showed that levels of the stress hormone, epinephrine, dropped about 14,1 picograms per milliliter on average. These extremely positive results help to prove that any amount of short-term exposure to dogs has both positive physiological and psychosocial effects (Gawlinksi). Therapy Dog International, a program that trains dogs and links patients to matched therapy dogs, conducted a lot of data research and experiments over the span of two years on the benefits of their programs for clients, residents, patients, and staff. The results of their research was that dog therapy resulted in greater socialization, verbalization alertness, and positive mood alterations (Jones). Overall, the program reports nothing but positive responses and reactions to their therapy dog programs.
If you are interested in training a dog to become a therapy dog, make sure your dog is healthy and at least one year old, and then find a program that is suitable for you and schedule a meeting with a dog observer to see if your dog qualifies to start training.
Works Cited:
Gawlinski, Anna, and Neil Steers. “Animal-Assisted Therapy Research Findings.” UCLA People-Animal Connection, UCLA Health, 15 Nov. 2005,
www.uclahealth.org/pac/animal-assisted-therapy.
Jones, Jacqueline. “Perceptions of the Impact of Pet Therapy.” Therapy Dog International Study, 1998, www.tdi-dog.org/images/TDIStudy.pdf.
Sturt, Kristen. “The 10 Health Benefits Of Dogs (And One Health Risk).” The Huffington Post, TheHuffingtonPost.com, 23 Sept. 2016, www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/the- 10-health-benefits-of-dogs-and-one-health-risk_us_57dad1b8e4b04a1497b2f5a0.
Comments