The presence of therapeutic dogs reduces pain

According to a 2022 study, therapy dogs can alleviate the suffering of patients recovering in the emergency department.

Researchers have found that even very little time spent with an animal can have a positive effect on humans by reducing pain, anxiety and depression, according to a study published in the journal PLOS One on Wednesday.

The survey collected data from more than 200 emergency patients at the emergency department of The Royal University Hospital in Saskatchewan, Canada, which was chosen for this purpose because of its “long-established therapeutic dog program,” according to the study.

In the research, patients who waited in the ward were asked to rank their pain on a scale of 1 to 10. Patients were then divided into two groups: the control group, which did not receive therapeutic dogs, and the treated group, which could spend 10 minutes with the dogs.

The group in which patients may have encountered dogs reported significantly less pain after the survey.

“Our current knowledge about the effects of therapeutic coexistence with dogs in emergency departments is quite limited. Therefore, it is especially important to conduct further research in this area, ” said one researcher.

Colleen Dell, the lead author of the study, said that some research suggests that pets are an important part of our health in a variety of ways.

“They motivate us, wake us up and, where appropriate, reduce our pain levels,” Dell added, “he hopes the results of the study will encourage people not to ask if therapy dogs are useful, but rather how they can be better integrated into the dog. into our healthcare system.

(Source: marmalade.co.uk; hirado.com | Image: pixabay.com)