What is pet therapy?
Pet therapy is a term used to describe animal-assisted therapy and other animal-assisted activities. Pet therapy usually comes into play with the use of dogs or other animals to help people recover from or better cope with health problems such as heart disease, cancer, and mental health disorders (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2020). To describe a general session of pet therapy, an animal may come in to be petted by individuals or the patient which then builds optimism and energy.
Animal-assisted therapy is beneficial to various types of individuals. According to Mayo Clinic, it has been shown to significantly reduce pain, anxiety, depression and fatigue in people such as those receiving cancer treatment, those with anxiety, dementia, PTSD etc. (2020). It can also be used in a non-medical setting such as for university students who may deal with an abundant amount of stress and anxiety.
Types of animals used in pet therapy:
There are many types of animals that are used in pet therapy.
Most common are dogs.
Other species can include the following: cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, and horses are good candidates.
As long as they are well trained, are people-friendly, and have good temperaments. They can be used in pet therapy.
Pros of Pet Therapy
Blood pressure is reduced.
Stress hormones decrease. These include cortisol and epinephrine
Increases endorphins.
Makes it comfortable for patients, such as addiction patients, to feel more comfortable to talk about sensitive topics that would otherwise be uncomfortable to discuss.
Cons of Pet Therapy
Hard to rent with pets. One can be able to obtain an ESA (emotional support animal) letter. Obtaining this letter will allow one to have a registered emotional support animal and to have housing and travel accommodations.
There isn’t much research on this, most accounts of the benefits come from anecdotes rather than research studies. HOWEVER, animal assisted therapy does works well along with evidenced based therapy.
There is potential risk of injury for the animals chosen. Some animals are more prone to get hurt, and others are more prone to cause injury than others.
What People Have Said About Pet Therapy
Pet therapy has been making waves in the therapy community, with a lot of individuals utilizing animals as a way to improve their mental health. Therapy animals not only are a large variety but assist in a variety of settings. Thus, their impact on the lives of individuals is quite tremendous.
According to an article by Alliance of Therapy Dogs (2020), many foster pets have actually become certified therapy dogs. In particular, the article highlights Sherman, who was a rescue pet during the time the family’s son underwent brain surgery. In an effort to help the son adjust and the family and son adjust to the changes post-brain surgery, the family ended up keeping Sherman as a pet. He then went on to impact the lives of many others in their local community nursing homes.
In addition, therapy pets alleviate the pain one experiences in life to make life a lot easier. An article by Paws & Think (2019) discussed Ellie, who was diagnosed with a brain tumor, leading to many effects both physically and psychologically. However, the use of therapy dogs by the organization brightened up her days and her mood as well. As she states, “It really helps every single time I have a dog… in ways I can’t describe.”
Lastly, many therapy dogs are used to ease anxiety disorders. As one anonymous user who suffers from severe anxiety wrote, “Though medications are helpful, I needed something extra. I needed more support… petting my little hamster calmed me more than anything.” Thus, pet therapies provide added beneficial support and can also be used as a compliment to regular therapy, changing the lives of many individuals remarkably.
References
Animal Therapy 一 My Personal Story. (n.d). PetPonder.
https://petponder.com/animal-therapy-my-personal-story.
Ellie’s Story: Therapy Dogs Help Heal. (2019, December 30). Paws & Think.
https://pawsandthink.org/ellies-story-therapy-dogs-help-heal/.
Heart-Warming Stories of Former Rescue Dogs Becoming Therapy Dogs. (2020, April 1). Alliance of Therapy Dogs. https://www.therapydogs.com/heartwarming-stories-former-rescue-dogs/.
Mayo Clinic Staff. (2020). Therapy dogs bring joy and healing. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/consumer-health/in-depth/pet-therapy/art-20046342
Therapy pets. Therapy Pets | VCA Animal Hospitals. (n.d.). Retrieved March 1, 2022, from https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/therapy-pets
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