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.
Dogs should always come in on a leash. Most of the service dogs I've seen are on the larger size. Dogs of all sizes in our hospital come up in the main elevator. I haven't heard of a problem yet.
I find it kind of funny that we, as a country (the US that is), are so super-hyper anal about some things (my daughters cannot bring home-made treats to school for their birthdays because the ingredients aren't listed and we have to have a note from a doctor for the school to give over-the-counter medication) but when it comes to pets....well, anything goes.
I'm extremly allergic to dogs and other animals so this would pose a problem for me. The dog will have to be out of the room if I was in the room. I may still be affected even if the dog leaves the room. I sneeze, cough, wheeze, have watery eyes whenver I'm around dogs. I have been hospitalized a dozen times for asthma attacks with dogs as the trigger.
- btw I loooove dogs and it breaks my heart that I can't keep them as pets even though I have tried.
I really dislike this new sense of entitlement pet owners seem to have lately, what's with the idea that everyone should have to put up with their little "gem." You love your pet....fantastic, putting it in a purse doesn't make it appropriate in public areas.
Well I really dislike the sense of entitlement parents of children seem to have lately, what's with the idea that eeryone should have to put up with their little "gem"? Since it is perfectly acceptable for a 5 year old to come on a locked psychiatric ward to visit Mom during her latest Axis II self-harm episode then I don't see any reason why this patient shouldn't be allowed to have her dog visit. Personally I'd much rather 4 legged kids on my unit than the 2 legged ones any day.
Well I really dislike the sense of entitlement parents of children seem to have lately, what's with the idea that eeryone should have to put up with their little "gem"? Since it is perfectly acceptable for a 5 year old to come on a locked psychiatric ward to visit Mom during her latest Axis II self-harm episode then I don't see any reason why this patient shouldn't be allowed to have her dog visit. Personally I'd much rather 4 legged kids on my unit than the 2 legged ones any day.
1) I wasn't aware this was an either/or situation. I don't think either are appropriate.
2) I've yet to see a documented case of someone being allergic to a child, no matter their behavior.
so, how does an asthmatic avoid being exposed to perfumes, 2nd hand smoke and other triggers, in the workplace?
leslie
I can only speak for myself on that one.
I don't work in places that allow smoking....additionally, I know who the smokers are, so I avoid them to avoid the smoke on their clothing.
Working in healthcare, goes a long way in avoiding strong perfume from co-workers. If it was a patient or guest I'd avoid if possible, or swap assignments with a co-worker. This at least is a self-evident problem....no finding out later on this one.
So, I wouldn't work in a bar (smoke & perfumes there), or a pet store......but don't expect to worry about avoiding dogs in a hospital.
If it's a case of a real service dog, well I'll need to figure out how to avoid as much as I can, and medicate myself appropriately. But a dog on the floor just to visit? I just don't see it as being appropriate....as it's unlikely I'm the only person allergic.
I can only speak for myself as well. I don't get triggered by perfumes. My triggers are pets, smoking, laughing too hard, being extremly upset, spicy foods, mold, and strong chemicals. As an asthmatic the only trigger that has threatned my life wad indeed dogs and cats and they are pretty easy to avoid.
Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.
Animals are very healing for some. My mother trains Irish Setters and actually brings her dogs to elder care centers for therapy. IT's amazing, the response these folks have to her dogs being there. People who are depressed and never speak normally, seem to come out of their "shells" when her dogs come to visit.
You can always avoid caring for people with dogs in their rooms. I just don't see the big deal in this case, I guess. If it's beneficial to the patients, I would be ok with it.
Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.
Human Visitors can be horrible triggers. I have had many visitors to my patients who came up reeking of excessive perfumes, cigarettes and scents that have triggered my migraines. Yet, I have no way of making them leave or avoiding them. They walk the halls, trailing stink for a mile behind them and it really bothers me, yet I just cope. Well behaved animals should be ok IMO. I think animals can be so very therapeutic.
Batman25
686 Posts
Dogs should always come in on a leash. Most of the service dogs I've seen are on the larger size. Dogs of all sizes in our hospital come up in the main elevator. I haven't heard of a problem yet.