Pets are domestic animals who live with their owners in their
homes. They are of different kinds and the owners feel appreciated when they
have their pets around. They have made their sick owners live more than
expected by lifting up their mood and making them happy. They are very
beneficial to the sick people that, the doctors now suggest pet therapy to their
emotionally incompatible patients in order to fight with the disease.
What is pet therapy?
Pet Therapy is a process in which the patient is encountered with
the pet commonly dogs and cats depending upon the type of treatment they are
getting. It is an Animal Therapy in which different kinds of domestic animals
are used to help people cope up with any physical or mental illness. The
doctors have recorded a great level of relief in their patient’s emotional state
after getting a therapy, from dogs and cats, specifically.
Goals of the Therapy
The goals of this specific remedy are to release the stress and
anxiety from the patient. To motivate the person in doing some of his
health-related tasks like exercising and eating healthy. To make the person
overcome the social awkwardness, he faces with the strangers or even around his
friends. It helps the person to be confident and boost his self-esteem to a
certain extent.
Procedure of Pet Therapy
In this therapy the patient is asked if he is comfortable around
any pet animal. The procedure is carried out through a dog in most of the cases
because dogs are easy to train and they are friendly in nature. They provide
comfort quite efficiently to the patients. If the patient agrees to get the pet
therapy, then the person is taken to a room where a dog or cat is waiting for
him, in the ideal situation. The person is allowed to interacts with the
animal, talks to his favorite specie and cuddles with him. The animal is left for only 10-15 minutes so
the human could relax a little bit before his actual prescribed treatment. The
patient gets out with a smile on his face after the therapy and be able to bear
further physical or mental treatment with better emotional health.
The process involves animal’s handler too. The owner brings his
dog or other pet to the patient and the doctor`s guidance is given to the
handler in order to make his dog work with the patient to achieve the goals of
the therapy.
Benefits of Pet Therapy
Pet Therapy is also known as Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT). There
are a lot of benefits of this procedure which has helped a lot of patients in
both physical and psychiatric illnesses. It has helped the kids with anxiety
before the dental treatment. Children have fear of dental procedures, the sound
of drilling and other dental equipment make them anxious. So, the doctors
recommend them a few minutes meeting with their favorite animal to overcome
their anxiety before the dental treatment. The pet relaxes them by cuddling
with them and the children talk to the animal without the fear of judgement. It
soothes their stress and then they go for their treatment with a smile on their
face.
This remedy is effective for the cancer patients. The chemo
procedure is harsh and it leaves the patients in severe trauma after the
sessions. People are scared to get their chemo sessions and in these cases a
pet therapy is very helpful to overcome their fears and traumas. They feel support,
that someone is there for them. They can
be vulnerable in front of a dog without the fear of being judged, that how emotionally
weak they get before and after the harsh sessions of treatment.
People with high blood pressure and chronic diseases like heart
problems, also feel a bit relaxed after their therapy with the animals. Their
cardiovascular heath gets better by talking to the furry creature and by
hugging them. It releases hormones such as Dopamine, Serotonin, Endorphin and
Oxytocin which instantly make the person happy and make them less tired within
no time.
People in the rehabilitation centers also feel support and less
depression when an animal visits them during their counseling sessions. They
feel warmth from someone reliable and would be accepted just as they are. They feel emotionally empowered by just having
a few minutes with their favorite cuddly one. The therapy also helps people
with mental illnesses and make them feel loved in the moments they think they
are not lovable. Dogs have even helped people in the times, when they are about
to give up on their lives.
Risks of Pet Therapy
The major risks of this remedy are the sanitation of the animals.
The doctor prescribing the procedure should be well aware if his patient if he
is allergic to dog shedding. The animals should be vaccinated, sanitized and
well screened before getting presented in front of any patient. The people who are
afraid of animals shouldn`t be encouraged to seek this procedure otherwise the
outcomes will not be able to achieve the goals of the treatment.