You know it will be rough when you end up in the bustling, beeping emergency room. Between the shrieking kids with sprained ankles, the endless wait times listening to sniffles and moans echoing behind pale blue curtains, and the occasional disorderly patient being dragged away in handcuffs, the ER often feels like a unique little slice of hell.
But believe it or not, there may be a furry fix for the unique brand of anxiety that sets in when you’re stuck for hours in medical limbo: therapy dogs.
That’s right, bringing in some wet-nosed cuties to cuddle with stressed-out patients could help ease their pain and panic. This makes sense when you consider how utterly soothing it is to ruffle a happy dog’s ears or feel them nestle right up with unconditional affection.
Some clever Canadian researchers decided to dig into this fluffy proposition with a little experiment. Over a few months, the team observed nearly 100 emergency room patients who got personal 10-minute puppy visits with trained therapy dogs and their handlers. We’re talking ear scratches, tummy rubs, slurpy kisses – the whole nine yards.
After each snuggle session, they asked the patients to report how they were feeling in terms of pain, anxiety, sadness, and general well-being. Additionally, they monitored the patient’s blood pressure, heart rate, and other vital signs to check for measurable physical changes.
For comparison’s sake, they also tracked a control group of 100+ ER patients who carried on with standard care sans furry companions.
After crunching the numbers, the verdict was in: the brief therapy pooch visits noticeably lifted people’s spirits across the board! Patients who cozied up with the dogs reported significantly decreased pain, anxiety, and sadness compared to their pup-deprived counterparts.
Yet strangely, interacting with the happy tail-waggers didn’t seem to budge most vital signs like blood pressure or heart rate. So, the perky pups clearly impacted people’s emotions and personal comfort but didn’t physically relax them in an obvious way.
Why Did Fido Lift All Those Frowning Faces?
Since surveys clearly showed the doggos improved moods but didn’t physically chill folks out, the researchers believe something unique is at play.
Their theory is that focusing on those big, sweet puppy eyes was a mental distraction, taking patients’ minds off their troubles for a little bit. And who wouldn’t instantly feel soothed nestling into a furry buddy radiating unconditional affection?
The oxytocin levels probably spike through the roof when a fluffy angel sniffs your toes! Plus, you can live vicariously through that happy puppy energy for a few minutes.
So, the comfort and temporary mental escape offered by the pups seemed helpful for reducing perceived pain and angst —even if folks’ blood pressure didn’t change.
Of course, more research is needed to truly understand the physiology behind why dog therapies do a body good mentally. Early evidence indicates floors might be an unexpected life-saver for patients languishing in stressful medical environments.
What’s the Barking Verdict Here? While more controlled studies are warranted to unpack the nuances, these promising findings suggest that dispatching four-legged counselors helps soothe emergency rooms and other dismal clinical settings.
Considering over 80% of ER patients are battling pain in the first place, a cuddly canine pit stop could provide welcome holistic relief when meds aren’t cutting it. And given most folks reported positive experiences with their new fur friends, UPHealth hospitals may consider keeping therapy dog teams on staff or on call.
Heck, if a cold nose nuzzle can briefly brighten someone’s lousy day or take their mind off nausea, that wagging tail might be the best medicine! Certainly beats gazing at the word “wait,” ticking eternally on some screen for the eighth hour straight.
So next time you’re utterly miserable and stuck on an ER gurney battling a kidney stone or killer migraine, you may get lucky and have a four-legged nurse with a soothing wet tongue sent your way. And if those big affectionate eyes gazing back don’t instantly dial down the discomfort a notch or two, you might just be dead inside.
Source research: Outcomes of a controlled trial with visiting therapy dog teams on pain in adults in an emergency department
Authors: Ben Carey, Colleen Anne Dell, James Stempien, Susan Tupper, Betty Rohr, Eloise Carr, Maria Cruz, Sharon Acoose, Peter Butt, Lindsey Broberg, Lisa Collard, Logan Fele-Slaferek, Cathie Fornssler, Donna Goodridge, Janet Gunderson, Holly McKenzie, Joe Rubin, Jason Shand, Jane Smith, Jason Trask, Kerry Ukrainetz, Simona Meier
Published: March 9, 2022
URL : https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0262599
