The Roles Animals Can Play in Treating Ovarian Cancer
Benefits of therapy-dog visits
The research findings included by Dr. Marcus demonstrate many positive impacts on patients from therapy-dog visits. Patients report increases in their energy levels and decreases in their depth of pain. Documented breathing rates of the patients is slowed, simulating increased relaxation. The patients’ mood scores become significantly higher while they reported lessened feelings of anxiety, anger, depression and dejection (Marcus).
Expounding on Dr. Marcus’ input, we find online that not all medically utilized animals are dogs, and not all medically-utilized dogs are service animals. We find that “service animals,” such as those specifically trained to work with the blind, require strict and accredited training and certification. “Emotional support animals” (ESA) such as Gracie was for Dina Theissen, and the pet-therapy dogs Dr. Marcus studied in the previous blurb, do not require any specialized training.
