Many people believe that pets are important to a healthy life and even claim that their animals have human-like abilities, such as sensing the feelings of their owners and reacting accordingly. In the past few years, studies have been conducted to understand whether there is therapeutic value in contact between humans and animals.
“I have found my pets to be one of my greatest comforts during the ups and downs of MS. Even during deep fatigue, when I can't even listen to the hum of the floor lamp (much less the TV), my little female lovebird curls up on my chest and takes a nap with me.”
The term “pet therapy” indicates a complex series of uses of the human-animal relationship for medical (physiological) and psychological (emotional) purposes. Pet therapy has been used in many different groups, including people with learning, psychomotor and attention deficit disorders, Down’s syndrome, autism, psychiatric disorders such as anxiety and depression, chronic illness, and with the elderly.
“My neurologist was concerned about having my dogs in the house due to balance, mobility, etc. There have been days this last year that I'm not sure I would have gotten out of bed if I didn't have to take care of them. They lick my face when I cry, they make me laugh and put up with me when I'm in a bad mood!”
In some studies, pet owners reported reduced fear, improved self-esteem and significantly fewer minor health problems and emotional concerns than people who had no pets. But it has also been shown that it is not necessary to actually own the pet in order to receive some benefits from an animal-human “relationship”. The mere presence of a friendly animal can be beneficial as well. “Visiting pets” or “therapy pets”, are just two of the names given to describe programmes in which animals help people just by visiting them. This may be an interesting possibility for people with MS who would have significant difficulties taking on the responsibility of their own pet due to problems with balance, mobility and co-ordination, fatigue and other MS symptoms.
Not only does the human benefit from interacting with animals, but one study found that dogs experience some of the same positive physiological reactions as their human counterparts.
To learn more about pet therapy visit: http://www.dog-play.com, http://www.deltasociety.org
|
