Weird situation this week. We have a patient in with a seizures. She and her spouse insisted that her dog was a service dog and needed to stay with her. Apparently it barks when she is about to have a seizure.
She got a private room and her husband stays with her almost always. He does leave some to get food, I'm assuming to go home and take care of some things. Not sure if he works.
Well, when he leaves, he usually takes the dog with him..????? Now he does take the dog out to potty on occassion, but both days I had this patient, he left for several hours with dog. Plus, whenever I'm in the room, the dog is with husband, not with patient????
It has barked a few times, but when we go in there, it is at people who it didn't know...dietary, housekeeping, etc.
It's a small dog - chihuahua/dauchstand mix and very well behaved. I just think the family is getting away something here. I've been told it has all of its papers, etc.
I know that pet therapy is common and that they use service dogs for more than just blindness now, but has anyone heard of this?
This is a med surg/telemetry floor. The patient is on telemetry, so if she started to have a seizure, the monitors should alert us.
I had a patient once who had a daily visitor with a service dog. She was in a wheelchair and the dog would help pull the chair, open doors, etc. They treated this dog like a service dog...as in we shouldn't pet him when he's on duty etc. This couple from this week just doesn't behave like this.
The dog isn't really doing any harm and it is cute and well behaved, but something just seems....I don't know....fishy about this.
So let's take this discussion further? When should dogs or any animal be allowed in a hospital or medical facility?
IMHO True service dogs - absolutely. Therapy animals - yes. Certain palliative situations where a person really is in their last few days of life, OK. Beyond that, I just am not sure, no matter how loved they are.
(This is a theoretical exercise. I'm not actually fighting any battle anywhere about animals in hospitals. And please don't tell me to check my hospital's policy. This isn't about that. I'm just interested in hearing people's points of view.)
I'm all for allowing the 4 legged babies to visit, possibly in a visiting room that can be cleaned as soon as the visit is over to avoid aggravating other people's allergies.
Specializes in PACU, CARDIAC ICU, TRAUMA, SICU, LTC.
In the movie "My Sister's Keeper," Alec Baldwin portrayed an attorney with epilepsy. He had a service dog that detected when a seizure was about to occur. After seeing this movie, I did a bit of research, and yes, as others have said, there is a service dog for this medical condition.
gives the saying, blind leading the blind, some much-needed validity.
personally, i am ALL for pets being allowed on the floors.
if someone has an allergy, take a benadryl.
not to sound heartless, but the therapeutic benefits far outweigh any perceived risks.
leslie:paw:
Benadryl will do wonders for a secondary asthmatic reaction......sorry, couldn't avoid the sarcasm. It's that attitude that makes me grumpy when I wake up in the middle of the night coughing and gasping for air....while wondering where I was exposed to a dog, or someone's 2nd hand cigarette smoke disguised with perfume.
I just don't ever agree that therapeutic benefits would outweigh the possibility of making a second person a patient.
(no barking, must behave on-leash at all times, must remain in room at all times with dedicated person to supervise - other than patient, must leave when dedicated person leaves)
If understood staff will not "care for" animal in any way
If you really need to know if the dog is an official service dog, just call the family doctor.
Actually, that won't work. According to the ADA website someone posted earlier, service animals don't have to be registered, licensed or certified.
"A: The ADA defines a service animal as any guide dog, signal dog, or other animal individually trained to provide assistance to an individual with a disability. If they meet this definition, animals are considered service animals under the ADA regardless of whether they have been licensed or certified by a state or local government."
The way I read this website, a business owner must let a customer into any area of their business where customers normally go with their "service animal" bases strictly on the customers word. Nor proof has to be provided. Now it talks about restaurants, movie theaters, stores, etc. They don't mention hospitals, but still I was kind of surprised by this.
"If you are not certain that an animal is a service animal, you may ask the person who has the animal if it is a service animal required because of a disability. However, an individual who is going to a restaurant or theater is not likely to be carrying documentation of his or her medical condition or disability. Therefore, such documentation generally may not be required as a condition for providing service to an individual accompanied by a service animal. Although a number of states have programs to certify service animals, you may not insist on proof of state certification before permitting the service animal to accompany the person with a disability."
So all a person has to do is say their animal is a service animal. A family doctor may not know about it.
There are service dogs for seizures so they aren't lying about that. If it has papers to be a service dog and it appears another nurse checked them it seems this dog is trained to help the patient. Is it possible the dog is more of a companion now? Sure. It appears it's well taken care of and not a drain on the staff as it is being walked by the husband so I would have no issue with it.
I am all for service and therapy dogs. I think they are a wonderful addition and tremdously uplifting to those in need. I'm also not against pets visiting if they are well behaved, clean, and someone is there to take them out as needed. I think that can be such a positive for patients.
(no barking, must behave on-leash at all times, must remain in room at all times with dedicated person to supervise - other than patient, must leave when dedicated person leaves)
If understood staff will not "care for" animal in any way
If bathed and healthy
If staff reserves right to disallow at any time
These rules are a good start, but what about some other things to consider. What about getting the animal to and from the room? Is it OK to walk a Great Dane on a leash down a hallway, in an elevator, through a lobby with lots of other people? Or must they be in pet carriers?
What about other animals, cats, rabbits, snakes, birds, chickens, turtles, etc.?
You could have a weight limit, if not service dog?
Allow only certain elevator to be used, and require permission from occupants to enter (if doc or nurse or tech with patient say, in wheelchair says no, then you wait, etc. If general public says no, then you wait, etc.)
Benadryl will do wonders for a secondary asthmatic reaction......sorry, couldn't avoid the sarcasm. It's that attitude that makes me grumpy when I wake up in the middle of the night coughing and gasping for air....while wondering where I was exposed to a dog, or someone's 2nd hand cigarette smoke disguised with perfume.
I just don't ever agree that therapeutic benefits would outweigh the possibility of making a second person a patient.
yep, will agree re an asthmatic reaction.
i certainly wasn't referring to such an extreme reaction.:)
mappers
437 Posts
So let's take this discussion further? When should dogs or any animal be allowed in a hospital or medical facility?
IMHO True service dogs - absolutely. Therapy animals - yes. Certain palliative situations where a person really is in their last few days of life, OK. Beyond that, I just am not sure, no matter how loved they are.
(This is a theoretical exercise. I'm not actually fighting any battle anywhere about animals in hospitals. And please don't tell me to check my hospital's policy. This isn't about that. I'm just interested in hearing people's points of view.)