Pet Therapy, good?

[mtnbiker]

I am a nursing student who will soon be graduating and want to say this forum has been a great way to learn about the "real" world of nursing, thanks everyone for posting. A frustration I am having is that in nursing school everything is set to such an ideal standard and the way it "should" be. When I get to my clinical rotations I see another world of nurses running around like crazy just to get the basics covered. What about all the humanistic, altruistic stuff?
So, to my question... I have been reading a bit about pet therapy programs and they sound very cool but haven't actually seen one anywhere. Guess the animal lover in me is coming out. These seem like a great way to lighten people up and well, make them feel good. I was wondering if anyone has worked with a pet therapy program and if so, what kind of benefits have you seen from it? Has their been any major complications, drawbacks? I am thinking of trying to get one started for a project at my clinical sight.

[smbrn]

I don't want to burst your bubble. I'm sure if it is done right a program like that can be beneficial for patients. Still, this was kind of funny. Several years ago I worked at a rather elegant long term care facility. This idea of pet therapy was all the rage back then. The DON decided, apparently without much thought, to implement one right away. Well, things got off to a pretty bad start. First they got about 4 cats. We had one resident in particular who despised cats because way back when a cat had done his business on her mink coat. She had wanted that mink for the longest time since all her friends had them but she and her husband, who lived in Manhattan, couldn't afford one. Well, eventually that worked out. I guess the first night she wore it to a friend's house, she left it on a bed in the bedroom, only to find out later that kitty thought it would be a great litter box! Seems kitty had always wanted a mink of her own, too! Anyways, the DON got four cats from some rescue place. The first night they were there the kitties were ecstatic when the dinner carts went down the hall. Salmon was on the menu. Quite a treat for rescue cats! So, one jumps up on this woman's table, she screams and starts swatting at it and the kitty bit her. Of all people! Anyways, as time went on we got a couple of dogs, some birds and I forget what else. None of the residents had the slightest interest in any of them. Taking care of them proved to be quite a chore and this beautiful facility ended up smelling like a poorly run pet shop. I don't know. I didn't think much about it but then I am not much of an animal lover anyways, although I do love my two kitties and my pomeranian. See what you think. It's just not something anyone should jump into without thinking the whole thing through.

[kittyloverRN]

I worked at a hospital that had pet therapy dogs come in with trainers. Maybe the trainers were their owners. They wore special vests and were very well behaved. There was only one dog in the hospital at a time and even then they only stayed part of the day. The patients in the nursing home part of the hospital enjoyed the dogs. Patients in med-surg, especially children, also were cheered up by the dogs. This situation was unlike the previous one with the cats and birds, pet shop-type atmosphere. Since the dogs visited breifly and did not live at the hospital, they made no mess. Furthermore, the dogs just being in the hospital made many of the staff members smile. I think it was good all around, but I see that if it were handled like the previous situation, it would be a terrible mess and sour both patients and staff on the idea. If you do start this, I think the key to making it successful would be having well-trained, responsive dogs with competent handlers. Not just any dog could be used. Also, it's probably better to put a bird feeder outside a patient's window than bring them inside. Sanitary issues must also be taken into account. Hospitals are dirty enough as it is. Good luck!

[sacbr1027]

****o,
I am a nursing student set to graduate this May. My best friend in high school was involved in pet therapy for her school project. I have also seen pet therapy first hand in hospitals and long-term care centers. It is FANTASTIC. Everyone lights-up and becomes so much more animated, especially the elderly. In one instance a gentleman who wouldn't speak or move had a golden retriever visit him and he actually moved his hand onto the dogs head. This was the first movement anyone had seen out of him in five or six years. That was a fantastic moment. I also recently precepted at Primary Children's Medical Center in Salt Lake City, UTAH and a pt. was telling me that a dog had come in. I don't know what pet therapy they have there but that may be a place you could check out. Also, I know that there is a pet therapy organization in Twin Falls, IDAHO and they go to the local hospital, Magic Valley Regional Medical Center in Twin Fallsl. That may also be a good website to check out. There number is (208) 733-2000. Hope this helps.
S

[mtnbiker]

This is the kind of responses to animal assisted therapy that I have been reading about. I read one article about a child who was severly abused and would barely communicate with the outside world, he was introduced to a golden retriever who would only do what the child wanted if the he would use a strong commanding voice, so the child eventually started speaking up.
I do agree with SMBRN though that I can see that a live in animal situation in a long term facility could really turn into a nightmare and a unsanitary situation.
I think that bringing in trained animals for specific cases and general visits is a great idea but the animal shouldn't necessarily live in the facility.
Thanks for the website info, I am going to check it out right now.

[nursinghumor]

I've seen enough instances of pets getting patients to move, pet and play to know that without them, the same activity probably wouldn't happen.

"Pet Therapy" however is a misnomer. It's clarified on this website.

Delta Society:"Although animal-assisted activities (AAA) and animal-assisted therapy (AAT) are the preferred terms, you may also hear the terms "pet-facilitated therapy" and "animal-facilitated therapy." The term "pet therapy" should be avoided because it is inaccurate and misleading. This term was widely used several decades ago to refer to animal behavior training programs. The preferred terms (AAA and AAT) suggest that the animal is the motivating force that enhances treatment provided by a well-trained person."
Delta Society
875 124th Ave NE, Ste 101
Bellevue, WA 98005
(425) 226-7357 (8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. PST, Monday - Friday)
(425) 235-1076 (fax)
info@deltasociety.org
http://www.deltasociety.org/AnimalsAAAAbout.htm

I've worked in facilities that had resident "pets" and visiting. As long as the animals are well-trained, both approaches are workable.

Andrew Lopez, RN
Nurses Views of The Nursing Profession
http://www.nursefriendly.com/views

[cougarnurse]

Most of our rezzies go for the pets who come in with family members and/or staff. Calms them down considerably, and makes for great "I remember...." stories. I tell ya, it is a miracle!

'Cat'

[hsieh]

people loved it when i brought my dogs into work.

[SoldierNurse]

IMHO, a well behaved dog, or cat can do wonders for LTC residents. Therefore, a "live-in" animal is very doable as long as all the bases are covered regards to sanitation, feeding, and exercise for the animal. The unconditional devotion that animals provide can be very powerful & positive for patients.

[Ricu]

There have been a number of times throughout the years when I've had acute care patients visited by their dogs- no cats for some reason. I've never been asked about a cat but can't see why one couldn't visit. Frequently it's the nurse who makes the suggestion which is usually followed by "can I really have my dog come in here?" The visit is as important for the dog as it is for the human. I've even had dogs come in to see more stable, longterm ICU patients. Obviously ther are conditions that must be met but the visits albeit few have always gone well.
Jst my two cents.

R