HAB-py Tails: The science behind therapy dogs, cat caregiving, and proper petting

Preserving and strengthening the human-animal bond is a powerful aspect of veterinary medicine—and one that we think deserves more attention. (Kudos, by the way, to HABRI for their truly excellent The Real Reason for Pets campaign!) 

To help veterinary professionals feel connected to that mission, we’re sharing a monthly round-up of stories showcasing the human-animal bond, including recent research that highlights just how crucial that bond can be. 

(Got a suggestion for a story to include in our next HAB-py tails round up? Send it over to [email protected]!) 

Therapy dogs reduce loneliness for adults hospitalized for treatment of mental illness 

There’s no shortage of research showing how harmful loneliness can be for adults, and when it comes to adults with mental illness, it’s linked to various health threats. But in a recent study, researchers asked an important question: Could dogs help? 

A pilot randomized controlled trial including 60 individuals hospitalized for treatment of mental illness examined whether the presence of therapy dogs could alleviate some of those feelings of loneliness. Individuals were assigned to one of three groups with the following conditions: 

• Dog and handler intervention (20 minutes per day for three days) 

• Handler-only conversation (20 minutes per day for three days) 

• Usual care (no dog, no handler) 

Researchers relied on three different scales to assess loneliness and tracked changes to the individuals’ conditions pre- and post-daily intervention sessions, on days 2-4 (3-day intervention period), as well as baseline to post-intervention (days 1-5). Those in the dog and handler intervention group saw significantly more of a decrease in loneliness between pre- and post- intervention sessions and over the course of the 3-day intervention (days 2-4) than those in the other groups. When looking at the baseline to follow-up (days 1-5), though, this decrease was only noted in dog owners. 

With this data, it’s clear that animal-assisted interventions are effective when it comes to decreasing loneliness among those hospitalized to treat their mental illness, showing that there’s real potential for including this as an adjunctive treatment in these cases. Therapy dogs, suit up! 

Caretaker perceptions and cat quality of life 

Veterinary professionals rely on the details provided by pet parents to accurately assess a cat’s quality of life, and new research is shining a light on the fact that these caretaker reports tend to have a slightly different focus than structured welfare assessments. 

Researchers hypothesized caretakers’ perceptions would be influenced by the cat’s health, age, outdoor access, enrichment, and human-animal interaction. They asked participants to use a single rating of overall quality of life, then explored how that compared to a systematically derived measure that took behavioral, emotional, and health indicators into account. 

This study found that, while caretaker input is crucial for understanding what the cat’s everyday welfare looks like, it’s most informative when paired with structured welfare indicators because both assessments identify different aspects of the cat’s wellbeing.  

So, providing these pet parents with systematic and structured assessments can help them provide you with a clearer picture of the cat’s true state.  

Getting petting right 

Petting your dog the way he or she likes it is, obviously, great for their wellbeing. But have you ever wondered whether the spot you’re petting on your pup has any specific impact on you? 

Close to 200 study participants received random assignments to pet a therapy dog for 10 minutes in a specific spot—the head, midsection, or back end. Participants responded to pre- and post-interaction surveys. 

The researchers knew from a previous study that touch, in general, was important for human wellbeing, but wanted to see if focusing on a specific area of the dog changed the experience. They hypothesized that, because petting the dog’s head would give participants more feedback, it would be a more powerful tool for boosting wellbeing. 

However, as you may have guessed, petting a dog anywhere yields benefits, and the study showed that it didn’t matter much at all which part of the dog participants petted. And no offense to the researchers, but we’re going to consider this great news. After all, it basically just means that petting dogs is great, and that’s something we can fully get behind.  

Photo credit: TatyanaGI via Getty Images 

Disclaimer: Trends content is meant to inform, educate, and inspire by providing an array of diverse viewpoints. Any content published should not be viewed as an official stance, position, or endorsement by the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) or its Board of Directors.