New Study Finds Therapy Dogs Can Reduce Pain in ER Patients

Amazing! A new study found that dogs can ease the anxiety and suffering of patients experiencing pain in the emergency room. According to the study published by PLOS One, just 10 minutes with a dog showed a positive effect on people and reduced their pain levels, anxiety, and depression.

The study collected data from more than 200 emergency room patients in Canada and asked patients to rank their pain from one to ten. The patients were divided into two groups, one group was greeted by therapy dogs, and one group was not. The group that had a visit from the dog reported less pain after.

It’s normal and very common for people to experience stress or anxiety in a hospital or even a dentist’s office. Thanks to numerous studies, people are beginning to realize that dogs may help alleviate some of these nerves. A study found that patients in a dentist’s office who had a dog lie on their lap during treatment had a decreased blood pressure level and overall stress. This prompted many dentist offices around the country to bring in fluffy four-legged friends to help calm patients’ nerves and stress.

Colleen Dell, a lead author in the study, told CNN, “There is research showing that pets are an important part of our health in different ways. They motivate us, they get us up, (give us) routines, the human-animal bond.”

Dell also said she hopes the results will encourage people to stop questioning if therapy dogs are helpful and instead ask how they can begin to incorporate them into healthcare systems.

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Although therapy dogs in hospital settings will require some more studies, these results are very promising and could start a new practice in healthcare systems.

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