When it comes to medicine it doesn’t always have to be in the form of a pill or administered by a doctor, instead it can be carried out by a furry friend. Animal-assisted therapy can be used to help treat many different ailments including both mental and physical. According to the Mayo Clinic in their consumer health section, animal-assisted therapy can be used to decrease pain, comfort someone with anxiety, or reduce depression among patients. People using this form of therapy can vary in their diagnoses but the intended outcome is the same with very similar activities. It’s simple, animals make people happy which makes coping with diagnoses easier and can give hope to the hopeless.
Animal-assisted therapy is an amazing alternative to medication but it does have its flaws. One in particular has nothing to do with the therapy itself but instead how others are taking advantage of it. It’s becoming more and more apparent that people are using the title of having a therapy animal to be able to have whatever animal live with them where they would otherwise not be allowed. This can create issues for people who actually need a therapy animal whether it be approval from a doctor or approval from a landlord.
Over the years, animal-assisted therapy has become increasingly more popular. Although the term is somewhat new the idea of using animals to help people with physical or mental illness dates back to the middle ages. Throughout history animals have been given many different tasks when it came to helping patients out. For example, animals would help people while they were in rehabilitation for any and all illnesses. They have also brought joy to people who struggle with PTSD, depression, anxiety and many other metal illnesses.
The biggest issue many have with this form of therapy being implemented is the risk it may have in sanitation and the safety of those involved. This is an understandable concern, especially when animals are being implemented in hospitals which are supposed to be sterile environments. The Mayo Clinic states that even though this is a concern most hospitals have strict rules regarding the cleanliness and health of the animal. They also have an important note that there has never been a reported infection or issue regarding the animal used in the assisted therapies.