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Pets are domestic animals who live with their owners in their homes. They are of different kinds and the owners feel appreciated when they have their pets around. They have made their sick owners live more than expected by lifting up their mood and making them happy. They are very beneficial to the sick people that, the doctors now suggest pet therapy to their emotionally incompatible patients in order to fight with the disease.

What is pet therapy?

Pet Therapy is a process in which the patient is encountered with the pet commonly dogs and cats depending upon the type of treatment they are getting. It is an Animal Therapy in which different kinds of domestic animals are used to help people cope up with any physical or mental illness. The doctors have recorded a great level of relief in their patient’s emotional state after getting a therapy, from dogs and cats, specifically. 

Goals of the Therapy

The goals of this specific remedy are to release the stress and anxiety from the patient. To motivate the person in doing some of his health-related tasks like exercising and eating healthy. To make the person overcome the social awkwardness, he faces with the strangers or even around his friends. It helps the person to be confident and boost his self-esteem to a certain extent.

Procedure of Pet Therapy

In this therapy the patient is asked if he is comfortable around any pet animal. The procedure is carried out through a dog in most of the cases because dogs are easy to train and they are friendly in nature. They provide comfort quite efficiently to the patients. If the patient agrees to get the pet therapy, then the person is taken to a room where a dog or cat is waiting for him, in the ideal situation. The person is allowed to interacts with the animal, talks to his favorite specie and cuddles with him.  The animal is left for only 10-15 minutes so the human could relax a little bit before his actual prescribed treatment. The patient gets out with a smile on his face after the therapy and be able to bear further physical or mental treatment with better emotional health. 

The process involves animal’s handler too. The owner brings his dog or other pet to the patient and the doctor`s guidance is given to the handler in order to make his dog work with the patient to achieve the goals of the therapy.  

Benefits of Pet Therapy

Pet Therapy is also known as Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT). There are a lot of benefits of this procedure which has helped a lot of patients in both physical and psychiatric illnesses. It has helped the kids with anxiety before the dental treatment. Children have fear of dental procedures, the sound of drilling and other dental equipment make them anxious. So, the doctors recommend them a few minutes meeting with their favorite animal to overcome their anxiety before the dental treatment. The pet relaxes them by cuddling with them and the children talk to the animal without the fear of judgement. It soothes their stress and then they go for their treatment with a smile on their face. 

This remedy is effective for the cancer patients. The chemo procedure is harsh and it leaves the patients in severe trauma after the sessions. People are scared to get their chemo sessions and in these cases a pet therapy is very helpful to overcome their fears and traumas. They feel support, that someone is there for them.  They can be vulnerable in front of a dog without the fear of being judged, that how emotionally weak they get before and after the harsh sessions of treatment.  

People with high blood pressure and chronic diseases like heart problems, also feel a bit relaxed after their therapy with the animals. Their cardiovascular heath gets better by talking to the furry creature and by hugging them. It releases hormones such as Dopamine, Serotonin, Endorphin and Oxytocin which instantly make the person happy and make them less tired within no time. 

People in the rehabilitation centers also feel support and less depression when an animal visits them during their counseling sessions. They feel warmth from someone reliable and would be accepted just as they are.  They feel emotionally empowered by just having a few minutes with their favorite cuddly one. The therapy also helps people with mental illnesses and make them feel loved in the moments they think they are not lovable. Dogs have even helped people in the times, when they are about to give up on their lives. 

Risks of Pet Therapy

The major risks of this remedy are the sanitation of the animals. The doctor prescribing the procedure should be well aware if his patient if he is allergic to dog shedding. The animals should be vaccinated, sanitized and well screened before getting presented in front of any patient. The people who are afraid of animals shouldn`t be encouraged to seek this procedure otherwise the outcomes will not be able to achieve the goals of the treatment.