Pet Therapy free essay sample

Pet therapy can be dated as far back as prehistory time when humans noticed that animals were not only used for food, but they were also friends and companions. Animal-facilitated therapy is one of the newer forms of medicine used throughout the nation. The origin of animal-facilitated therapy can be traced as far back as 18th century. The York Retreat, founded in 1792 by the Quaker merchant William Tuke, was cited to be the first use of animal-facilitated therapy. Instead of harsh forms of treatment, the York Retreat emphasized positive means to control behavior. Animals could be found all over the retreat, and the patients were encouraged to learn to care after them. The York Retreat is used as a model today in the form of animal-facilitated therapy (Cusack 2). The earliest form of animal-facilitated therapy in the United States was when Secretary of the Interior Franklin K. Lane suggested using dogs with psychiatric patients at St. We will write a custom essay sample on Pet Therapy or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Elizabeth’s Hospital in Washington D. C (Hooker 18). Pawling Army Air Force Convalescent Hospital at Pawling, New York introduced pet therapy in 1942. The patients were encouraged to work with many farm animals as well as engage in academic studies. Amphibians were also used from the nearby forest as pets for the patients. The patients would hold frog jumping contests and turtle races which inspired a competitive spirit and provided an educational background (Cusack 3). Pet therapy was finally considered a legitimate therapeutic use in 1961 when Dr. Boris Levinson documented his observations (Hooker 18). There are a few different classified types of pet therapy. Animal-assisted activities or animal-facilitated therapy, animal-assisted therapy, and pet-facilitated therapy are the main types of therapy used. A newer form of therapy called canine candy striping started at UCLA in 1994, has also become a popular method. Researchers are beginning to distinguish between animal-assisted activities, which are practiced in over 600 hospitals nationwide and animal-assisted therapy which is a newer discipline where dogs are used by doctors to reach a specific goal (Roosevelt 2). Studies show that animals, pets in general, make humans better people. Having a pet makes you live longer, be happier, live healthier, and more sociable (Cusack 4). Doctors, therapists, and researchers have argued the fact whether pet herapy is a healthy and effective way to treat patients. Should doctors and therapists start prescribing pets instead of medicine to their patients? The first type of animal therapy is animal-assisted activities (AAA). This therapy is performed by trained professionals with the accompaniment of animals that meet specific criteria. AAA are used for multiple patients and are more of a â€Å"s it down† and â€Å"play† time. A therapist is not sitting with the patient taking notes such as, ‘what are the patient’s actions showing’ (About 2)? Many different types of animals may be used for pet therapy. The most common ones however are dogs and cats. Hospitals and nursing homes are starting to permit the use of more animals like rabbits, small rodents such as mice and gerbils, and birds. Dogs and cats do provide the best potential for therapeutic use, but they are more expensive to groom and care for (Cusack 85-91). The most important quality of the animals used for therapy is that they should have a calm personality and they must be people oriented. Cats and small dogs are very good to use because they can fit on about anyone’s lap. A large dog would be perfect for a patient in a wheelchair so the patient could stroke its hair. Pawprints and Purrs Inc. states, â€Å"They provide an invaluable service to those who are lonely, abandoned, or ill; indeed, anyone who needs the miraculous healing that can arise from a hug and a gentle touch (2). † Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) is another method used on patients. This method does have specific goals for the patient to meet. Catanzaro lists the following four types of AAT interaction between humans and animals: 1. The â€Å"individual companion,† or the owned pet, is one who is specifically trained and placed with an individual on a full-time basis. The programs for the blind and deaf often are the first to come to mind, but animals also are placed with disabled, elderly, or chronically ill individuals. 2. â€Å"Part-time companions† include animals that are used on a â€Å"loan† basis. They may be left with a person for periods of time but are generally the responsibility of someone else. This includes pets â€Å"visiting† the elderly at home or in nursing care facilities. Some of these animals are entertainers, whereas others are friends and lovers. Most often, the pet stewards are volunteers and they and their animal have been psychologically screened, as in the Pet Partner Program of the Delta Society. 3. The â€Å"mascot† or group pet essentially resides in the therapeutic setting itself, such as a psychiatric or nursing home, a children’s ward, or a half-way house. These animals provide companionship in the broadest sense for all residents and patients. As such, they are available to everyone, including the staff. 4. Animals can be â€Å"part of the living environment,† such as seen on a working farm or residential treatment center. Here, people may interact with animals who are considered part of the community of living things—plants, livestock, horses, rabbits, poultry, dogs, cats, as well as birds and animals in the wild (40). AAT can be used in a group or with an individual, but must be performed by a health/human service professional. After each visit, the patient’s progress is measured. An example of AAT would be a physical therapist using the presence of a dog to increase a stroke patient’s ambulation skills. AAT can improve the physical, mental, educational, and motivational health of a patient (About). Pet facilitated therapy (PFT) is yet another form of therapeutic aid. Prisons, hospitals, nursing homes, and other institutions use PFT. Beck states the animal’s main objective is to â€Å"act as a bridge by which therapists can reach patients who are withdrawn, uncooperative, and uncommunicative. † Upon receiving a pet, patients show a sudden emotional reaction, showing joyfulness. After a few sessions with the pet, many of the patients will start responding to human therapists. Eventually the patient will start socializing with other people when before they had no social life (Beck161-162). Animals used as therapists in prisons, is a very effective method. The pet program usually stabilizes problem prisoners (Beck 162). In an interview with Robert Kent, superintendent of the Sanger B. Powers Correctional Center in Oneida, Wisconsin, he said, â€Å"Since our dog training program started in 1997, we’ve had 68 inmates released who were involved in the program and now one has re-offended and returned to prison. This achievement was lowered costs of prisons considering that 66 percent of inmates nationwide are recidivists (Strimple 70). The idea of using pets in prisons first came from Oakwood Forensic Center in Lima, Ohio. A prison inmate found a wounded bird on the grounds and took it in the prison to care for it. The prisoners started catching bugs for the bird to eat and they started getting along with each other. When the staff noticed that animals could be an effective way of therapy, they preformed a year long study between two wards. In one ward there were no animals, and the other ward had pets. The ward with no pets had eight suicide attempts during the year while the ward with pets required half of the amount of medication, had reduced violence, and there were no attempted suicides compared to the other ward (Strimple 72). Canine candy-striping is a new form of therapy being used in a hospital at UCLA. The program began in 1994 as just another recreational activity for patients. A former nurse, Kathie Cole, convinced the hospital that animals could lift the spirits of heart-transplant patients during the months of waiting for an organ. Roosevelt writes a story about a 65-year-old patient, hospitalized for quadruple-bypass surgery: had not moved or opened her eyes in days.