Jaqueline Castro plays with a Schnauzer named Paola at the Support Hospital of Brasilia, Brazil, as part of a program to help patients with chronic diseases or recovering from trauma.
Eraldo Peres/APTherapy dogs have been visiting nursing homes and schools for a long time. A new study shows that a 10-minute visit from a therapy dog can help relieve pain in the emergency room.
The research found that ER patients who were visited by a therapy dog reported less pain than those who weren't.
Therapy dogs themselves are really friendly, family pets that are so excited to visit with people and in places where you don't typically have a pet.
More than 200 patients were asked to report their pain levels. One group of patients received a 10-minute visit from a therapy dog, while the other did not. Patients in both groups were asked to report their pain levels again after the dog visit.
The study found that people who spent 10 minutes with the dog reported less pain.
Dell and Dr. James Stempien say the findings were not surprising.
Many have experienced benefits from therapy dogs, but this study proves them, said Dell, herself a therapy dog handler.
Dell said that the use of therapy dogs echoes Indigenous approaches to health, which are moreholistic and concerned with animals and the land.
She said that many cultures share the same philosophy. She said that the trial is speaking Western language, which could mean that more people will listen.
Stempien, the head of emergency medicine at the Health Authority and an associate professor of emergency medicine, has seen the dogs in action at the hospital where he works.
A therapy dog would visit multiple times a week. The dog would stop in the nursing lounge before going to the patients.
Stempien told NPR that it brought a smile to the faces of almost all the staff they interacted with.
Dell said that the people are not the only ones getting something out of this.
She said that therapy dogs love their job and love people.
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