Animal assisted therapy, also called pet therapy, has a long history of helping children and adults through physical, emotional and mental problems. New evidence even suggests it can lessen the need for pain medications after joint replacement surgery. Recovering from surgery can be difficult, but new research shows that patients who engage with animals in pet therapy or with pet therapy dogs need 50% less pain medication than other patients. These new findings were presented at the 18th Annual Conference on the International Society of Anthrozoology and the First Human Animal Interaction Conference in Kansas City, Missouri, in November 2009. For those who love animals and wish to help people, pet therapy certification and volunteer work offers many benefits for patients and volunteers alike.
Pet Therapy Helps Patients Recover Faster
In the study from Loyola University, Julia Havey, R.N, the study's presenter, said in a press release, "Evidence suggests that animal-assisted therapy (AAT) can have a positive effect on a patients' psychosocial, emotional and physical well being." Harvey and others, who raise service dogs for animal-assisted therapy, presented their findings that pet therapy reduces patient stress and need for pain medication. Harvey and her team frequently bring pet therapy dogs on campus at Loyola University to socialize them and prepare them for life as service animals.
Animal assisted therapy shows promise for pain relief, but it has a long history of other positive effects. Other studies demonstrate that petting dogs, for example, can improve immune system function. Animal assisted therapy has been shown to have overall positive effects on human health and well being, and is especially good for children and adults with disabilities.
