Informative Essay On Pet Therapy

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What is pet therapy? Who can benefit from animal assisted therapy or pet therapy? What are the benefits of pet therapy? In what settings does pet therapy occur and how is it used? Is there any side effects or obstacles to pet therapy? Do the benefits outweigh the risks? According to Mayo Clinic, “pet therapy is a broad term that includes animal-assisted therapy and other animal-assisted activities. Animal-assisted therapy is a growing field that uses dogs or other animals to help people recover from or better cope with health problems, such as heart disease, cancer and mental health disorders. Animal-assisted activities, on the other hand have a more general purpose such as providing comfort and enjoyment for nursing home residents.” (http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/consumer-health/in-depth/pet-therapy/art-20046342(Oct. 13, 2015). Anna Zernone Giorgi …show more content…

Thanks to this natural relationship, pet therapy can aid progress toward goals in human physical, social, emotional, and cognitive function.”(http://www.healthline.com/health/pet-therapy#Overview1(Oct. 13, 2015). Anyone, who is hurt, ill, stressed or have health issues can benefit from pet therapy or animal assisted therapy. Some examples are children who are having a dental procedure, anyone undergoing cancer treatments, veterans with PTSD, anyone who has to be hospitalized with chronic heart failure and people who may need help for the rest of their lives. Pet therapy is also used in a non-medical setting to help people deal with stress and anxiety. Non-medical settings could include universities, community programs and individual homes. Patients are not the only ones who benefit from animal assisted therapy, their family and friends have said they feel better after sitting in on visits. Students can benefit from pet therapy as well, because they have animals come into the classrooms to help some students deal with anxiety and

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