Animal Therapy Benefits: Real or Myth

Treating medical conditions requires specialized care, including medication, surgery, and rehab therapies. Your healthcare team works tirelessly to ensure your condition is managed effectively and cured when possible. However, some treatments seem unorthodox, including animal therapy, which has many people wondering how effective it really is.

Pet therapy uses animals, such as dogs, cats, and horses, to assist those with medical conditions. Its popularity continues to grow due to its numerous emotional, psychological, and physical benefits. Though animals don’t actually treat the illness, they do help the patient cope with their symptoms and speed up recovery.

For this reason, animal-assisted activities are also used in hospitals, nursing homes, and senior residences to offer comfort and entertainment.

Animal Therapy session with a golden retriever wearing a pink outfit, gently held by an elderly woman.

Is There a Scientific Basis for Animal Therapy?

If you have a pet, you likely feel a connection to it that others may not share. Recent evidence shows such feelings aren’t unique. In fact, research has shown humans and pets have a bond that makes animal therapy a legitimate treatment. Positive interactions between people and pets alter the hormone production regulating how our minds and bodies function. In fact, pets as therapy can be beneficial for a wide range of people, including those working in highly stressful environments.

For instance, oxytocin reduces stress, fear, and anxiety while increasing socialization. It also reduces your heart rate and blood pressure. When interacting with animals, oxytocin levels rise, creating a calm, focused mind.

As those comforting hormones increase, stress hormones decrease. These include cortisol, epinephrine, and norepinephrine. Though these are essential for the fight or flight response, they often rise when combating a severe medical crisis. Consistently high levels alter your body’s functions, doing more harm than good. The calming aspect of animal therapy reduces these hormones and prevents excess damage.

Pet therapy does have a few risks worth considering. Some animals are unpredictable and need to be managed carefully by trained professionals. Germs could also threaten vulnerable people, requiring careful monitoring of pet health. If allergic to specific animals, discuss this with your medical team before agreeing to animal-assisted activities.

Pet therapy for mental health

Poor mental health doesn’t only make you feel sad, it alters your entire lifestyle. Experts state that reduced mental functions increase the risk and symptoms of cancer, respiratory disease, or heart disease. People also seek care less often when dealing with stress, anxiety, depression, and other neurological problems.

Whether reduced mental health results from physical complications or other factors, animal therapy may improve your condition. According to experts, animal-assisted activities improve emotional self-regulation, self-control, and social responses in those with mental disorders. These conditions include ADHD, autism, affective disorders, and behavioral issues. Interacting with animals improved coping skills, reducing outbursts and other negative reactions.

Research also shows that human-animal connections may also improve stress, anxiety, depression, and PTSD. When dealing with these conditions, stress-related hormones increase. After prolonged periods, immune function suffers, and pain increases, causing further mental damage and increasing the risk of physical complications. Cuddling a cute animal during therapy allows you to release those negative thoughts and focus on something positive.

Studies even show that healthcare workers benefit from animal interactions. Such demanding careers are high in stress and require significant concentration and attention. Many workers experience job-related health complications, but bringing their pets to work or participating in animal therapy counteracts these issues. They are more focused, positive, and social, offering better patient care.

Drawbacks

While animal therapy is beneficial, there are some side effects that should be considered.

  • Allergies

Some people have allergies to pets. Symptoms may include runny nose, itchy eyes, coughing and even more severe signs such as shortness of breath.

  • Suitability of environment

Not all places can be pet-friendly for obvious reasons. For instance, not everyone feels comfortable or at ease around animals.

Resources:

  1. Habri, Research – Understanding the Human-Animal Bond
    https://habri.org/research/
  2. Husson University, The Healing Power of Animals: Benefits of Animal-Assisted Therapy
    https://www.husson.edu/online/blog/2022/07/benefits-of-animal-assisted-therapy#:~:text=For%20most%20people%2C%20the%20presence,helping%20support%20good%20mental%20health
  3. Bradley University, How Mental Health Affects Physical Health
    https://onlinedegrees.bradley.edu/blog/how-mental-health-affects-physical-health
  4. PubMed Central, October 19, 2022, The Benefits of Dog-Assisted Therapy as Complementary Treatment in a Children’s Mental Health Day Hospital
    https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9597812/
  5. Habri, Mental Health Conditions
    https://habri.org/research/mental-health/conditions/
  6. PubMed Central, February 4, 2022, Animal-Assisted Intervention and Health Care Workers’ Psychological Health: A Systematic Review of the Literature
    https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8833329/#:~:text=Abrahamson%20et%20al.,and%20improved%20relationships%20with%20patients.
This article contains informational and educational materials and does not replace health or medical advice. For questions or concerns regarding your medical condition or health objectives, speak to a qualified physician or healthcare provider.