The Pawsitive Effect of Therapy Dogs in a Hospital Emergency Department

Ben Carey; Colleen Dell; Alexandria Pavelich

doi:10.25250/thescbr.brk694

Authors

Ben Carey University of Saskatchewan https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9646-3960
Colleen Anne Dell University of Saskatchewan https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4216-1606
Alexandria R Pavelich University of Saskatchewan https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9616-7141

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.25250/thescbr.brk694

Keywords:

pain, animal assisted intervention, therapy dogs, wellness, health

Abstract

Pain is the main reason people attend an emergency department. Our study examined the effect of a therapy dog visit on reducing patient pain in an ED. We found that pain improved after the dog visit compared to no change in control patients. Patient anxiety, depression, and well-being also improved. These findings help to establish the potential value of therapy dogs in an emergency setting.

Author Biographies

Ben Carey, University of Saskatchewan

Researcher

Colleen Anne Dell, University of Saskatchewan

Professor

Alexandria R Pavelich, University of Saskatchewan

PhD Student

Original article reference

Carey, B., Dell, C.A., Stempien, J., Tupper, S., Rohr, B., Carr, E., Cruz, M., Acoose, S., Butt, P., Broberg, L. and Collard, L. (2022). Outcomes of a controlled trial with visiting therapy dog teams on pain in adults in an emergency department. PloS one, 17(3), p.e0262599.