Your Pet is Your Doctor...

ANIMAL FACILITATED THERAPY:

Pets also generally seem to provide their owners with non-trivial health benefits; keeping pets has been shown to help relieve stress to those who like having animals around. There is now a medically-approved class of "therapy animals," mostly dogs, who are brought to visit confined humans. Walking a dog can provide both the owner and the dog with exercise, fresh air, and social interaction.

• “The companionship of animals decreases loneliness and stimulates conversation,”

• “By encouraging touch and giving humans a sentient creature to care for, interaction with animals stimulates physical reactions that are very necessary and important in humans.”

• “Many times, pets give attention to a person who otherwise might not receive as much,”

• “They stimulate exercise, encourage laughter, and facilitate social contact,”

• “These benefits add up to an improved sense of well being.”


Health benefits

So,

This shows that;

the pets have the ability to stimulate their caregivers, in particular the elderly, giving people someone to take care of, someone to exercise with, and someone to help them heal from a physically or psychologically troubled past. Having a pet may help people achieve health goals, such as lowered blood pressure, or mental goals, such as decreased stress. There appears to be strong evidence that having a pet can help a person lead a longer, healthier life. In a study of 92 people hospitalized for coronary ailments, within a year 11 of the 29 without pets had died, compared to only 3 of the 52 who had pets. A recent study concluded that owning a pet can reduce the risk of a heart attack by 2% and that pets are better than medication in reducing blood pressure. Dogs which are trained to be guide dogs can help people with visual impairments.Even pet owners residing in a long-term care facility, such as a hospice or nursing home, experience health benefits from pets.In the field of mental health, Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) has been found to be a helpful treatment in the following areas:

Emotional safety:

The therapist may be viewed as more approachable if there is an animal present. The power structure has shifted and the environment is less threatening.

Relationships:

Clients who have difficulty developing a relationship with other human beings are able to relate to an animal. The animal can be a source of love and companionship and the client can direct feelings of love and concern for an animal when he or she may have difficulty with the expression of emotions in a human relationship.

Attachment:

An animal can offer the opportunity for uncomplicated attachment. Learning the skills of attachment from the relationship with an animal will help in developing a relationship with other human beings.

Grief and loss:

Many people have experienced the loss of a beloved animal. Processing that loss can assist the client in working through issues of loss and abandonment.

Socialization:

The presence of animals provides the opportunity for social interaction and interpersonal connection. Play and laughter--a client can learn how to play through interactions with an animal.

Anxiety:

The ability to focus on the animal rather than the internal feelings of anxiety can help the client to learn distraction skills in a non-threatening environment.