The Use Of Animals For Therapeutic Use

In the field of therapy, there are numerous of therapy available out there for different type of individuals and situations as well. There is one type of therapy that usually contains people and animal, it is animal-assisted therapy is a therapeutic approach that brings animals and individuals with physical and/or emotional needs together to perform the therapy. Animal-assisted therapy tend to be focused on individuals either children or elderly for them to be able to connect with the animal thus feeling comfortable talking with the therapist. Pet therapy works for all ages, whether sick or not (Lanchnit, 2011). Although, this paper, most of the focus is on animal-assisted therapy towards children using dogs.

Animals and humans have had a symbiotic relationship for thousands of years, and they play an important role in our everyday lives by providing tremendous benefits to our mental and physical well-being. One way the human-animal bond has been formed is in the form of companion animals, or pets, with dogs being the most notable example. This study primarily focuses on dogs and the examples they have provided as an option for treatment and therapy, but it by no means excludes other types of animals from serving the same purpose.

Imagine you were in a hospital and your doctor mentions pet therapy and you decide to try it out. Your doctor arranges for you to meet with someone in the morning to tell you all about it. Soon after that, a dog and its handler visit you in your room and you are invited to pet the dog, play with it, and ask questions to the owner. After the visit you realize you're smiling, less tired, and more optimistic, and you can't wait to tell your friends and family about it, and can't wait for tomorrow to see the dog again. This is called pet therapy. Because pet therapy is popular today people should understand the physical, mental, and social benefits before making a decision.

Pet therapy is a way of comforting a patient. Although dogs are primarily used, they are not the only

Nepps, & Bruckno, (2014) and Souter & Miller,(2007) results were determined by pre/ post questionnaires and scales that viewed each participant mood before and after each session to see the outcome and effectiveness. It showed a dramatic increase in mood. It was also shown that that therapeutic alliance is enhanced with the addition of a therapy dog within a group setting with adult clients in a residential drug abuse treatment setting. Animal assisted therapy has also been shown to reduce feelings of anger and symptoms of PTSD, which can contribute to an overall improvement of mood and reduce depressive

Questions arise concerning the treatment of therapy dogs when visiting patients and whether animal-assisted therapy really works at all; however, those who disagree aren’t looking at the big picture. Animal-assisted therapy is both an ethical and effective therapy method due to its success in treating those with chronic diseases, disorders, and managing stress and anxiety. The varieties of cases regarding the success of therapy dog treatments far surmount the amount of cases saying otherwise. Animal-assisted therapy stems from the human-animal connection, one of the most unique and powerful bonds man has ever experienced. It is that connection that allows animal assisted therapy to be a critical part of everyone’s daily

In a recent study conducted by Rebecca Johnson, Ph.D., RN, of the University of Missouri-Columbia Center for the Study of Animal Wellness showed that when humans pet a dog, within minutes there is a huge amount of beneficial hormones known to be associated with health and feelings of well-being.(Becker par. 2) These hormones are called beta endorphin, prolactin, dopamine, oxytocin, and beta phenylethylamine (Becker par. 2). The hormones that are released from the interaction between the animal and the human allow the patients to feel more blissful and trusting. Along with being emotionally benefited from working with animals in assisted therapy; people can benefit physically. For example, people who have physical

“A Healthy Dose of Puppy Love” by Kathryn Satterfield describes a new study that shows that dogs can improve an individual’s health by lowering anxiety levels and by improving cardiac function. Specially trained therapy dogs visited a hospital in November in Dallas, Texas to help conduct a study that animals can improve an individual’s health, to do this people split the seventy six patients into a total of three groups: visitors with dogs, visitors, and an “at rest group.” For accurate results researches preformed anxiety tests on the patients before, during, and after the visit, and the results concluded that patients who received visits from people had encountered a ten percent drop in anxiety, while patients who received visits from dogs

Animal assisted therapy includes all psychological theories and incorporates animals, such as dogs or horses, into a therapeutic treatment plan. It is used to enhance and complement traditional therapy methods, but it is not done by itself. Animal assisted therapy has been effectively used in individuals with autism, medical conditions, and trauma survivors. It may also be implemented for people with psychological disorders, such as depression, schizophrenia, and addiction. Depending on the type of therapy and the type of animal involved, you may keep the therapy animal at home and with you throughout the day for emotional support, or you might learn to ride and care for a therapy horse that is kept at an equestrian facility. Afterwards, you

Animal assisted therapy, or AAT for short, began with the first documented case at an asylum run by the Society of Friends in England 1792. The first documented case of animal assisted therapy in the United States was not until 1919 at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Washington D.C. During the 1930s, famous psychoanalysist Sigmund Freud become an advocate for AAT when he used his dog, Jofi, during his therapy sessions. He found that his patients were more comfortable talking to him when Jofi was present. I believe that AAT proves to be beneficial for both mental and physical disorders according to articles I have read prior to the research done for this project.

Have you ever noticed that when you are not feeling well, your pet will not leave your side? It is almost like they have a sixth sense to illness or anything that you may be inflicting you mentally, emotionally or physically. Those suffering with chronic illnesses, both physically and mentally benefit exponentially from the companionship of a pet. For anyone suffering with a chronic pain disorder, there is nothing essentially that can make you feel better. My mother is a disabled fifty-two year old woman; she suffers from depression, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia. If anyone knows about chronic pain…it is her. When discussing this paper with her she said, “Some days I do not know what I would do without Matilda Faithe, she gets me through some of my worst days ("Animals Helping Humans Cope with Pain." Personal interview).” My mother has had Matilda Faithe, her nine year old; over-weight Yorkshire terrier, ever since her doctor suggested that a pet may be beneficial to her health. Nine years later and it has proven to be nothing but true. Having that companion gives her a reason to have to get up and keep moving, even when her body is telling her no. You have another life that is depending on you to get up and feed them and walk them. Just having to do simple tasks such as walking or feeding the dog is keeping her moving. My grandmother, whom suffers from dementia, also lives with my mother and benefits from the day to day help of Matilda Faithe. A pet is something constant in the life of someone suffering from a memory disorder. Not only does this little companion help her mentally, she keeps my frail ninety pound grandmother up and moving as well. This alone is why it is very common for nursing homes to bring in therapy animals for the residents. It not only helps them mentally and physically, but it brings an overwhelming sense of contentment with the interactions they have with

The medical department at the University of Pittsburgh developed an “animal-assisted therapy” study using dogs. The dogs were trained to help the patient and the

While interacting with the residents of the psychiatric ward, she saw that residents of a psychiatric ward responded quite well to small animals visiting the ward. She saw that there was a decrease in their levels of stress in both the children and the adults in the facility. She made notes of this and began to consider this as a means of treatment for the psychiatric patients. The same article that discusses the genesis of AAT also talks about Sigmund Freud’s contribution to the practice with his own personal dog. He used his dog as a “tension level tester.” The dog would be closer to people whose tension levels were low, then the dog would go to the other side of the room if the tension levels were off putting to the dog. His practice with his dog would go unnoticed for two decades after his death. Today assistance dogs are used in mental institutions, prisons, nursing homes, schools, and they are used even domestically. An example of a dog therapy being used to today in public would be UC Davis’ very own therapy fluffies. These dogs are brought to the campus from the Yolo County SPCA, and independant therapy dog groups from different areas in California to go throughout the campus to bring animal based relief to the students. Owning and working with a dog has been shown to have all sorts of physical

Animal assisted therapy is the use of animals, most popularly canines for their friendly, loving, and nonjudgmental approach in patient treatment. Animal therapy may be considered unorthodox within standard nursing practice and thus the studies produced have been limited and more inquiry is needed. This paper will discuss the benefits animal therapy can produce for cancer patients psychologically and physiologically as well as increasing job satisfaction for nurses. Its expected outcome is to exemplify animal assisted therapy’s potential as a complementary treatment to traditional nursing practice that can be normalized in the future. From the evaluation of three studies and one literature review the significance associated with animal assisted therapy results will be examined. As well as analyzing these various studies, discussing their limitations and presenting their comparisons. The animals included trained canines of different breed and size and the sample population was cancer patients specifically those undergoing radiation or chemotherapy. Interventions included presenting the various breeds of dogs to patients before (in the waiting room) and during (while receiving chemotherapy) treatment. Trainers were present at all times and patients were able to interact, pet, hold, play and walk with the dogs. Its usefulness is minutely recognized in nursing and can be of importance to the nursing practice as a cathartic alternative therapy and intervention that has potential

The most recent studies the researcher could find have taken place in the 1990s. Health care is experiencing a vast increase in the use of home health care. Patients are finding it to be much more convenient and comfortable opposed to the alternative of having to travel continuously to a local hospital or private clinic setting. This increase prompted the research of the effects of pet therapy on those whom are