Mutt-ernity Ward

[Joe V]

It's been said, the world is going to the dogs. But, in some locations, our canine friends ARE allowed in the Delivery Room. Under the Americans With Disabilities Act, trained "Service Animals" are allowed to accompany people to many business places, including medical practices and hospitals. How about your hospital? Have you seen Service Animals accompanying patients throughout the hospital? Are they allowed in the Delivery Room? Does your hospital provide training on handling these situations?

Thank you Phil-on-a-bike for the winning caption. You won $100!

[TAKOO01, BSN]

I do not work in a hospital. I did not even know this was a thing. It is a sign of the sense of entitlement that people have, the complete disregard for others. If I were a patient, I would hate to know that I am in a hospital room that just housed a dog.

People are allowed to do whatever they want in their homes. Dogs are part of people's families, eat at their tables and sleep in their beds. That is fine. It is not okay to force that on other people. There are people who are afraid of dogs. There are people who are allergic to dogs. Dog hair, dander, feces and urine are not things that need to be introduced in a hospital environment. With MRSA and other infections affecting many healthcare institutions, why add the possibility of more germs? And where does it stop? Perhaps I have anxiety, and only my pet anaconda can soothe me. Does he get to come in? How about budgies or a ferret? It is fairly easy to have an animal declared a therapy pet.

Also, who cares for the pet while the patient is in bed? Will the nurse have to walk the dog and pooper scoop? Not only will nurses have to bring ginger ale and pillows for the family, now you have to have jerky and treats for the dog. Patient satisfaction!

Part of living in a civilized society is respecting others. If someone needs pets at a birth or while sick, that person has to stay home. It is unfair to expose others to animals when they are unable to move.

[Horseshoe, BSN, RN]

And where does it stop? Perhaps I have anxiety, and only my pet anaconda can soothe me. Does he get to come in? How about budgies or a ferret? It is fairly easy to have an animal declared a therapy pet.

Emotional support animals are not considered "service animals" in the context of the ADA. Unlike a trained service animal, an emotional support animal is not granted access to places of public accommodation under the ADA.

There are two main federal laws applicable to ESAs and their owners: these include the Air Carrier Access Act and the Fair Housing Act. In a nutshell, these laws mandate that ESAs must be allowed (with certain owner responsibilities and restrictions) on airplanes and in housing. No other entity is required to allow ESAs on their premises. That includes hospitals, shopping malls, restaurants, or other public or private property.

[Horseshoe, BSN, RN]

Also, who cares for the pet while the patient is in bed? Will the nurse have to walk the dog and pooper scoop? Not only will nurses have to bring ginger ale and pillows for the family, now you have to have jerky and treats for the dog. Patient satisfaction!

According to the ADA:

(4) ANIMAL UNDER HANDLER'S CONTROL. A SERVICE ANIMAL SHALL BE UNDER THE CONTROL OF ITS HANDLER. A SERVICE ANIMAL SHALL HAVE A HARNESS, LEASH, OR OTHER TETHER, UNLESS EITHER THE HANDLER IS UNABLE BECAUSE OF A DISABILITY TO USE A HARNESS, LEASH, OR OTHER TETHER, OR THE USE OF A HARNESS, LEASH, OR OTHER TETHER WOULD INTERFERE WITH THE SERVICE ANIMAL'S SAFE, EFFECTIVE PERFORMANCE OF WORK OR TASKS, IN WHICH CASE THE SERVICE ANIMAL MUST BE OTHERWISE UNDER THE HANDLER'S CONTROL (E.G., VOICE CONTROL, SIGNALS, OR OTHER EFFECTIVE MEANS).

(5) CARE OR SUPERVISION. A PUBLIC ACCOMMODATION IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CARE OR SUPERVISION OF A SERVICE ANIMAL.

More about service animals:

• Allergies and fear of dogs are not valid reasons for denying access or refusing service to people using service animals. When a person who is allergic to dog dander and a person who uses a service animal must spend time in the same room or facility, for example, in a school classroom or at a homeless shelter, they both should be accommodated by assigning them, if possible, to different locations within the room or different rooms in the facility.

ADA Requirements: Service Animals

[AceOfHearts<3]

I've taken care of a patient with a small service animal. The patient's significant other cared for the dog. Honestly, most people didn't even know the dog was there.

[Thanksforthedonuts, MSN, APRN]

Since you ask about bringing dogs in the labor and delivery room.... would you bring them into the OR?

I am hoping your answer is no.

[Thanksforthedonuts, MSN, APRN]

Essentially the scope of a service dog is to perform a task for the individual who has a disability.

Key concept: used to perform a task.

Within the hospital,and once admitted as a patient, I do not see the scope of the service dog anymore.

While I understand that the owner may have developed a strong bond and become quite reliant on the dog, I believe a line has to be drawn both for safety and infection control. Also, like it or not, the dog will become an extra "responsibility" to the nurse.... whether or not the owner chooses to acknowledge it.

Sticking to the theme of the question:

I can understand that a HOH new mother may need some time to train/adjust the dog to bark in order to know her newborn is crying. However I dont know that the hospital is the place to start developing that skill (in the short time she is there postpartum) AND that would take some time for that new skill to develop. Most likely better done at home.

[allstressedout1]

Yes in NICU

[T-Bird78]

I don't work in a hospital, I'm in an office, but a pt brought in a dog wearing the service vest and said she was training the service dog. That's fine and everything, but the dog jumped up to put its paws on the check-in counter, was trying to climb up on pt's lap when pt was sitting in the exam chair, and I had to bring the dog some water in an emesis basin during the visit. I know service dogs do need training, but I thought they had to complete basic obedience training before their specialized training.

Anyway, when my MIL was in the hospital, my husband and SIL brought MIL's little dog to visit her on the med-surg floor. The hospital allowed it as long as the dog was clean, on a leash, and had paperwork from the vet verifying the dog was up to date on shots. It made my MIL's face light up when her little dog came in the room. Toward the end, MIL elected to D/C dialysis and go home on hospice care so she could be with her little dog in her last few days. That last week at home, her dog never left her side. My husband had to physically pick her up and take her outside to potty and set her food bowl on MIL's bed. In some situations, like hers, it benefitted the pt to have that pick-me-up, but I can see where it isn't good in some situations too.

[SpankedInPittsburgh, DNP, RN]

Yeah, I've seen this be problematic. I work at the VA and a lot of our Vets suffering from PTSD have companion dogs. Many of these Vets are incredibly troubled and suffer from addiction and mental health issues. The dog is often the only thing they have in their life. I work in the ER and we usually don't make much of an issue about these dogs being with the patient. However, if they are not true service dogs they cannot accompany the dog to the floor for admission. This can lead to outbursts involving the police and even involuntary commitments. There is often nobody to care for the animal and they are consigned to a shelter on occasion. I don't know what the answer to this is. Many of these animals are unkempt and more than a few have been pretty nasty in temperament. An acute hospital admission team is really in no way prepared to care for them. The nurses in the admitting units shouldn't be expected to care for them as they have their hands full with a full patient load and it exposes them to risks they shouldn't be expected to bear. It's a sad and troubling situation

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

Since you ask about bringing dogs in the labor and delivery room.... would you bring them into the OR?

I am hoping your answer is no.

If the benefits outweigh the risks, yes:

Service Dog Sniffs Out Girl's Disease, Even in Operating Room - ABC News

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

I do not work in a hospital. I did not even know this was a thing. It is a sign of the sense of entitlement that people have, the complete disregard for others. If I were a patient, I would hate to know that I am in a hospital room that just housed a dog.

People are allowed to do whatever they want in their homes. Dogs are part of people's families, eat at their tables and sleep in their beds. That is fine. It is not okay to force that on other people. There are people who are afraid of dogs. There are people who are allergic to dogs. Dog hair, dander, feces and urine are not things that need to be introduced in a hospital environment. With MRSA and other infections affecting many healthcare institutions, why add the possibility of more germs? And where does it stop? Perhaps I have anxiety, and only my pet anaconda can soothe me. Does he get to come in? How about budgies or a ferret? It is fairly easy to have an animal declared a therapy pet.

Also, who cares for the pet while the patient is in bed? Will the nurse have to walk the dog and pooper scoop? Not only will nurses have to bring ginger ale and pillows for the family, now you have to have jerky and treats for the dog. Patient satisfaction!

Part of living in a civilized society is respecting others. If someone needs pets at a birth or while sick, that person has to stay home. It is unfair to expose others to animals when they are unable to move.

A service animal is not a pet. They perform a service to an individual with a disability and, by law, they go wherever their owner goes. It's not a sense of entitlement, it's needing the service the dog provides. I have a patient whose service dog accompanies her to the hospital when she is admitted. Her spouse takes the dog out for potty breaks and feeds it. When I was in nursing school there was also a regular patient on the unit that I did my psych clinical on who always had her service dog with her because of hearing loss.

You are confusing 3 very different things-

A service animal- has specific training to provide a service to an individual with a disability. Examples include seeing eye dogs, dogs that assist with mobility for people with cerebral palsy or I know several children who are hemiplegic post brain tumor surgery who have one, dogs that can warn about seizures, allergies, hypoglycemia, etc. Per the ADA, a service animal is only a dog or a miniature horse.

An emotional support animal- an animal that is registered to provide emotional support to its owner that may have anxiety, depression, etc. The law only permits them to live anywhere the owner lives and travel on an airplane with the owner. For example, if a college student has an ESA, it can live in the dorm with him but cannot accompany him to class. A service dog would go to class or the dining hall.

A pet therapy dog- a dog that has gone through therapy dog training and volunteers, with its owner, at places like hospitals or nursing homes to bring joy to hospitalized individuals. At children's hospitals, these dogs visit regularly.

I ride the elevator with dogs all the time at work, mostly therapy dogs that are there to volunteer but occasionally service dogs as well.