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Inside
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Fish Tales From Dr. Clark
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DIY or Buy: Summer Lawn Games
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Meet Louie and His Family!
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Chewy Cat Treats
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How Can Acupuncture Help Your Pet?
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Should You Try Animal Therapy?
YOUR GUIDE TO AAT
Is Animal Therapy Right for You?
AREN’T THOSE JUST EMOTIONAL SUPPORT ANIMALS? In recent years, emotional support animals have become increasingly popular both in the media and in their use. Emotional support animals offer their owners vital emotional assistance, but they differ greatly from trained therapy animals. AAT requires the use of a trained animal under the direction of a handler, who will also coordinate with medical professionals to ensure the strategies that they deploy will target what a patient needs. Prior to practicing, trainers and their animals must each pass certification processes intended to help each party gain the skills needed to help patients. To qualify, animals also need to be clean and vaccinated, and the type of animal used during AAT also depends on a person’s condition, the location of the therapy, and a patient’s need. IS AAT RIGHT FOR YOU? AAT isn’t for everyone, but it can be a vital component of your healing process. It’s often seen as a supplemental form of therapy intended to bolster other therapies. The important thing to remember when considering AAT is to establish reasonable goals. Discuss the possibility of using AAT with your doctor or therapist and consider which animals may bring you the most comfort. Be realistic about what you want and need before attempting AAT.
There are just some things only a dog can understand — same with a cat, or a horse, or a bird, for that matter. That’s the idea behind animal-assisted therapy (AAT), a treatment designed to help those with mental and physical challenges. AAT may look like snuggling and playing with animals, but it’s much more involved than you may think.
WHAT IS AAT? AAT relies on an innate human need to connect with animals. The idea is that humans form bonds with living things, and this connection can have a calming effect on our minds. Physical therapy and massage therapy involve tangible actions on the part of the therapist, while AAT relies on the relationship between a human and an animal. This could help someone cope with grief, lessen a medical patient’s pain related to chemotherapy or surgery, provide connection to residents in long-term care facilities, or even offer exercise for those with limited mobility.
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