Using Animal Therepy In Nursing

kmchugh · Nov 14, 2003

We tried it, but it didn't work out. Dogs kept licking the incisions and running off with the specimens and eating them. I guess the OR is just not the place for this therapy.

KM, CRNA

(Sorry, just couldn't resist.)

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Nov 14, 2003

A volunteer brings in her certified wel--behaved golden retriever once a week. The dog loves to socialize and the pts. just love seeing a happy dog. I've seen people smile that i hadn't seen smile for days after meeting this dog.

stressednurse · Nov 14, 2003

Yes it works. I work long term care right now and we have birds that live in the facility. We also have fish tanks, and we have pet visit days. Many patients families bring pets to visit and I don't have a problem with that. I am a pet lover so when the pets occasionally get stressed and do an accident, and the handler/family cleans it up. No prob, but please don't ask me to be pooper scooper along with everything else I have to do.

Speculating · Nov 14, 2003

Originally posted by Louisepug
Hello everyone! I've been on this site now about everyday for 2 or three weeks and I love it! I' will be going to nursing school in 2004 and am getting CNA certified in May:D So excited! Anyway, I had a question that I am sure some of you can answer. I've been looking into all of the multiple areas of nursing and have found some hospitals and programs that use animal (or pet) therepy with their patients. Do any of you nurses out there implement something like this? If so, how do you like it and especially, how did you get involved in it? I would absolutely LOVE to use this when I become a nurse and want to know a bit more about it! Thanks so much! Louisepug

Louisepug, I feel a great deal of warmth in your editorial when it came to the animals are you sure your not headed down the wrong avenue of higher education?

lmd32 · Nov 14, 2003

Gotta tell my best pet therapy story:

When I was working LTC in rural Idaho, we started a pet therapy program. The residents loved the dogs and cats (well, most of them did anyway) and the pygmy goats were a big hit with the retired farmers. But the gerbils were a disaster! The first thing those farmers and farmwives did was dump the little critters out of their cage and stomp on them! They were vermin, after all. So, you gotta know your clientele and tailor your pets to them.

:roll :roll :roll

bargainhound, RN · Nov 14, 2003

Pet therapy is just a very small part of the options you will have as a nurse to enrich the lives of your patients/residents/clients.

Agnus · Nov 15, 2003

My goodness your are certainly thinking like a nurse. Yes pet therapy is so very effective.

Pet therapy animals must pass certain requirements to be accepted as therapist. They must be a very tollerant animal willing to put up with just about anything from strangers. They are trained well behaved animals. They must be maticulouly groomed and thier own health must be intact.

Patients own families sometimes are permitted to bring in a family pet but unlike a therapy animal this pet cannot visit other patients and again the animal must be clean.

Therapy animals are very effective in not only soothing and comforting but actually are instrumental in recovery of some patients. Animals can elisit a positive response from a a person that human therapist sometimes cannot. They give incentive and motivation to people to comply with treatments and therapies. They treat depression, they ease pain ( both physical and psychological) I could go on and on.

Yep, furry therapist have something we only wish for, the ability to be truly non judgemental totally acepting and unconditionally loving. And a patient of any age knows full well they will never tell a secret to someone else.

DustinRN · Nov 15, 2003

I've seen PT used in pediatric psychiatry facilities and in the nursing homes. I was very happy to see the pets there because it seemed as though it just lit up their faces. I enjoyed having them there too. I am all for it.

Milehighnurse · Nov 15, 2003

Originally posted by kmchugh
We tried it, but it didn't work out. Dogs kept licking the incisions and running off with the specimens and eating them. I guess the OR is just not the place for this therapy.
KM, CRNA
(Sorry, just couldn't resist.)

Ok, that was just gross, but I did LMAO!!!!

FROGGYLEGS, LPN · Nov 15, 2003

We have a pet therapy program in place at the facility I work at. It is scheduled and carried out by the Activities department.

I would love to work with the dogs myself, but unfortunately where I work nursing has little if any involvement in the program.

On the other hand, I have considered enrolling my dogs into the pet therapy training program. Perhaps then I would be more involved.