Pet Therapy Works

A recent study conducted at Massachusetts General Hospital and published in the journal Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice tested the value of pet therapy. Fifty-nine patients were included in this study. They’d been in the hospital for an average of about one week at the time of the study. Half of the patients were in the hospital for a medical condition and half for surgery. Before the dog’s visit, nurses recorded each patient’s vital signs and information about pain and energy levels. These same measures were recorded after the dog visit. After the dog’s visit, there was no change in blood pressure, but breathing rate slowed by 4 percent. Pain severity dropped by 22 percent and energy levels increased by 19 percent. The biggest improvement was in mood. Following a pet therapy visit, patient mood improved by 57 percent!

Patient comments about pet therapy visits:

- “Good therapy”
- “Forgot about everything else”
- “Breath of fresh air”
- “Cheered me up”

This article also provided tips on selecting good patient candidates for pet therapy visits.

- Patients were asked if they’d like a dog visit before the visit
- Visits were not offered to patients who had:
- A fear of dogs or dog allergy
- Open, uncovered wounds or contagious illness

If you’re interested in starting a pet therapy program or getting your dog certified as a pet therapist, Get The Facts on Dog-Assisted Therapy at tppc.tv news.

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