We’ve known all along that dogs are man’s best friend. And apparently, a doctor’s best friend too. A new study shows that the presence of a therapy dog in the emergency room has positive effect for patients.
"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," said lead study author Colleen Dell, the research chair in One Health and Wellness and professor at the University of Saskatchewan.
The study asked 200 patients in the ER to rate their pain from 1 to 10 (with 10 as the highest level of pain). One control group is left to their own devices, meanwhile the other group was given 10 minutes to spend with therapy dogs. Afterward, they were asked again to rate their pain levels. In the end, the group visited by the dogs recorded less pain.
The result simply reinforces what many have suspected all along : dogs' affection cures all ills. With this discovery, Dell hopes to quell the debate about whether therapy dogs are truly medically helpful and start a movement to better incorporate them into healthcare practices.
Image: Ryan Stone/Unsplash
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