Canine Therapy
Just weeks after Chris Goehner, 25, an Iraq war veteran, got a dog, he was able to cut in half the dose of anxiety and sleep medications he took for post-traumatic stress disorder. The night terrors and suicidal thoughts that kept him awake for days on end ceased.
Aaron Ellis, 29, another Iraq veteran with the stress disorder, scrapped his medications entirely soon after getting a dog — and set foot in a grocery store for the first time in three years.
The dogs to whom they credit their improved health are not just pets. Rather, they are psychiatric service dogs specially trained to help traumatized veterans leave the battlefield behind as they reintegrate into society.
Full article on service dogs used in post-trauma cases.
That’s what everyone needs. A good pooch.
Wow! $20k for a dog. Wouldn’t a shelter dog work just as well? And when happens when the dog dies?
But, I agree with Paul. A good dog makes life better.
Baylor Rehab began experimenting with pet therapy 20 years ago.
I wonder how long it will take before psychiatrists offices schedule “pet therapy” sessions, where they bill patients’ insurers for each hour their therapy dog interacts with a patient? The new health reform law requires mental health parity and mandatory preventive care services with no cost-sharing. Can HHS Secretary Sebelius require insurers to cover the cost of getting and keeping a dog for our mental health if it’s prescribed by a doctor?
I’m also reminded of the story about the cat “Oscar” that predicted 50 deaths in a nursing home (http://www.john-goodman-blog.com/cat-predicts-50-nursing-home-deaths/). If the dog sleeps next to you, your mental health improves. If the cat sleeps on your bed, you die within the week. How ironic.
I have to agree with Ken’s comment above. This pooch looks much more appealing (and therefor restorative) than a plant.