When dogs or cats join medical teams, they bring more than just wagging tails and gentle purring. They bring measurable improvements to patient health. From lowering blood pressure and enhancing cardiovascular health to lowering anxiety and breaking down barriers in therapy sessions, these animals are proving to be powerful allies in healthcare.1 This article shows the effect that therapy animals have in various medical fields and explains how these advantages are achieved biologically.
What Are The Benefits of Therapy Pets?
Therapy dogs and cats can have a positive influence on mental and physical health.1 They help to relieve stress, alleviate anxiety, help people to relax, provide comfort and reduce feelings of loneliness.1 And how do therapy pets do that? Biologically, interacting with therapy animals, such as through cuddling and playing, triggers the release of beneficial hormones, including serotonin, prolactin, and oxytocin.1 This results in a natural mood-boosting and relaxation response.1
These biochemical changes also lead to measurable physical health improvements.1 A 2007 study in the American Journal of Critical Care showed that visits from therapy dogs significantly improved the cardiovascular health of heart patients.2 Animal-assisted therapy was found to improve cardiopulmonary pressures, neurohormone levels, and reduce anxiety in patients hospitalized with heart failure.2 For example: a 16-minute visit by the therapy dog was enough to lower the systolic pressure in the pulmonary artery by approximately 33.8%.2
Beyond the mental and physical health benefits, therapy animals act as icebreakers in therapeutic situations.1 These animals help to break down initial barriers in therapy sessions by reducing initial resistance to therapy.1 Additionally, the presence of therapy animals has also proven invaluable in physiotherapy, as patients show increased motivation and pain tolerance during exercises, likely due to the natural release of oxytocin during interaction with animals.1
Use of Therapy Pets
Therapy support animals bring their healing presence to many different healthcare settings:
In psychiatric hospitals, for example, having a cat on the ward helped create a softer, more homely atmosphere where patients feel more at ease.3 With a therapy cat, patients find it easier to connect with their caregivers, from nurses to psychologists, building the trust that’s so essential for healing.3
The relationship between pet ownership and heart health shows particularly promising benefits, especially in regulating blood pressure response to mental stress in older adults.4 When older people combine their regular blood pressure medication (ACE inhibitors) with a pet at home, they respond significantly better to cardiovascular problems in stressful situations than those who only take medication.4 The numbers speak for themselves: pet owners showed notably lower responses to mental stress, with meaningful differences in heart rate, systolic blood pressure, and diastolic blood pressure compared to those only receiving medication.4
For people living with dementia, therapy animals provide a special kind of support. As exercise and activity often decrease as dementia progresses, these gentle companions may delay progression of neuropsychiatric symptoms.5 The presence of a therapy animal can help reduce behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia, especially depression – symptoms that often complicate everyday life.6
In nursing homes, where maintaining quality of life is so important, the role of therapy animals is especially evident in palliative and end-of-life care.7 During this time, when comfort and emotional support are so important, therapy animals have a positive impact on the patient experience. For many people receiving palliative care, the presence of therapy animals offers comfort during their final journey.7
Challenges in the Implementation of Therapy Pets
The significant costs associated with owning, training and caring for a therapy animal can be a major barrier for many organisations.8 These costs include not only the usual costs of pet ownership, but also additional costs for annual veterinary visits, vaccinations and the specialized training of therapy dogs.8 Additionally, gaining approval from school administrators, boards of education, and other stakeholders can be difficult, further limiting access to these programmes.8 As a result, therapy pet programs remain underutilized, despite their potential benefits, as many institutions struggle to justify the expenses and overcome the administrative hurdles associated with implementation.8
Conclusion
At Daiichi Sankyo, we pursue a holistic approach to improving cardiovascular health and mental well-being of patients. We actively raise awareness about various therapeutic approaches, including the beneficial effects of therapy pets, which have been shown to positively impact both heart health and mental well-being.
