The Benefits of Pet Therapy: How Animals Improve Mental Health

The use of animals in therapeutic sessions, whether as companions or as a means of reducing stress, is known as animal-assisted therapy. Imagine having surgery at the hospital while your beloved pet accompanies you. Having a dog, cat, or even horse companion can aid in your healing. But how? With the help of healing animals.

A profession as a therapy animal trainer or handler can be a fulfilling way for those who love animals to help those going through tough times. A therapy animal could be someone's pet or one you could acquire and train to be a therapy pet. Either way, you'll make a difference in people's lives in treatment settings by facilitating faster recovery.

The Procedure of Pet Therapy

A lot of stress is experienced by those who are coping with severe physical or mental health issues. That anxiety can slow down their recovery. As well as helping people feel better, spending time with animals helps promote the healing process.

A service or therapy animal that has undergone extensive training might accompany a patient or client to medical appointments as part of animal-assisted therapy. The person familiar with the service animals, such as the owner or handler, will accompany the animal. Patients can often spend fifteen minutes with the animal, pet it, and ask the owner anything. The benefits of pet therapy are numerous, and while some are quantifiable, others are not. Having an animal around can alleviate some of the patient's anxiety and distraction, which in turn can hasten the healing process.

Pet Therapy Benefits

Recent scientific studies have validated the benefits of pet therapy. Studies show a clear correlation between having meaningful interactions with animals and experiencing improved health. Improvements in physical health, emotional health, and motor skill level are all possible outcomes of animal therapy.

Physical Health

Although it is widely recognized that associating with animals may favor mental health, many are astonished to hear that animal-assisted intervention can also improve physical health. For some people, it might alleviate symptoms and hasten the healing process. The research is examined in further detail here.

Research published in 2007 in the American Journal of Critical Care indicated puppy therapy improved cardiovascular health in cardiac patients. This improvement was accompanied by decreased stress hormone levels and blood pressure. According to the American Heart Association, hospitalized patients with heart failure do better when they interact with therapy animals.

Some patients need less medicine when they see therapy animals regularly. Patients suffering from anxiety can be distracted resulting in their breathing becoming more regular, and it has been found that interacting with friendly animals can improve immunity. After just twenty minutes of petting a dog, some people's salivary immunoglobulin A levels rise, suggesting that their immune systems function normally.

Mental Health

Petting a lovely dog or cat might boost mental wellness. Being in contact with animals usually releases serotonin in humans. A UCLA Health research says these hormones soothe and relax. The synthesis of these hormones can reduce depression and improve mental health.

 During animal-assisted therapy, happy hormones are released, anxiety is lower, and patients may feel more relaxed. Many hospitalized patients feel less lonely. Animals may comfort and distract patients during difficult times.

Some persons with mental health issues may find therapy and treatment harder. A pet can break the ice between the therapist and patient, easing early resistance to treatment. If people are less resistant to therapy, these programs work better.

Finally, puppy therapy reduces disruptive behaviors in dementia patients, which benefits patients and staff in nursing homes and memory care institutions.

Skills Improvement

The third advantage of animal-assisted therapy is that it helps with skill development in general treatment. Patients who engage in physical therapy, which might include unpleasant exercises, reported feeling more motivated to complete their treatment sessions after pet interactions. Patients may be more motivated to make progress in their treatment plans when they have an elevated pain threshold as a result of the oxytocin release.

Animals may be a great help to children with neurological problems, such as autism, who are undergoing language and social therapy. When children see an animal, they may feel more comfortable talking out loud, even in settings where they may not normally feel comfortable doing so. They have more in common with healing animals than people, and therapists may use this to their advantage by bringing the animals into therapy sessions to help patients open up and participate more actively. Children suffering from anxiety or ADHD may find that petting an animal during therapy sessions helps them relax and concentrate, increasing the likelihood that they will put in the necessary effort.

Risks of Animal-Assisted Therapy

Interactions between animals and people always carry some degree of danger. Regardless of how well-trained, animals are still unpredictable, and many animals carry diseases that can infect susceptible humans. With trained service animals, though, these dangers are minimal.

 However, it is essential for anyone considering a career in animal-assisted intervention to be aware of the potential dangers to their dogs and their patients to minimize these risks. One such risk is the potential for unsanitary conditions, which may be a problem in healthcare facilities. There are stringent regulations to prevent hospitals and other institutions from putting their patients in unnecessary danger when therapy animals are present.

An additional danger may be an animal inflicting harm on a patient; for example, a dog that becomes frightened and attacks a patient. This risk cannot be eliminated, but it is significantly reduced due to the training these animals get and the expertise of therapy animal handlers. The other benefits of pet therapy surpass this minor danger.

Conclusion

In animal-assisted therapy, both the animals and their handlers undergo frequent training. Its stated goal is to alleviate symptoms of mental and physical health issues. Doctors or mental health professionals can recommend and administer puppy therapy for various health conditions with individual aims. Anybody thinking about animal therapy must consult a professional to review the process and any potential benefits.