When you’re not feeling well, what could be better than scratching the ears of a big, happy dog or petting a cat who’s purring on your lap? These pets love the attention, and studies show that animal companions can be good for you, too.

While relationships with people can sometimes be complicated, our interactions with pets are much more simple. Animals can be a source of comfort for humans, as well as a focus for our attention. And even if we worry about what other people think of us, our pets accept us just the way we are.

Many medical professionals recognize that pet therapy can complement traditional care. Here are some interesting facts:

• Bringing a dog to visit residents in a nursing home can improve their mood and encourage social interaction.
• Heart attack victims who have pets tend to live longer than those who don’t.
• Just staring at a tank of tropical fish can lower a person’s blood pressure.
• When a person pets a dog or cat, it releases endorphins, which are chemicals that increase the feeling of well-being.
• Having a dog to walk makes people more active.
• Patients with cancer often are given more reason to live by having a pet to care for.

At Plantation General Hospital, we understand the benefits that animal interaction can offer. Our Pet-Facilitated Therapy program has been very successful for patients who are receiving physical and emotional care. Volunteer pet owners bring their trained and certified animals for visits with patients. These visits help the patients feel less depressed and less lonely. Often, they become more responsive after a session with a therapy pet, and they look forward to future visits.

Patients find that animal visits are a source of entertainment or sometimes a welcome distraction from the stress and anxiety they may be feeling. Petting a dog or cat encourages the patients to stretch, turn, and use their hands. It also helps them relax. Often patients have had pets in their past, and sometimes they have had to give them up due to illness. So spending time with a therapy animal can bring back good memories.

Dogs are the most common pet therapy animals, but cats, rabbits, and even birds can be used as well. Handlers just need to be sure that patients don’t have an allergy or any fear of the animals.

To learn more about pet-facilitated therapy, contact Plantation General Hospital. Visit us online or call Consult-A-Nurse® at 1-866-442-2362. Serving Central Broward County, we’re here to answer all your questions.

Sources:
Plantation General Hospital
Pet Therapy
Delta Society

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Pet Therapy TLC