Dog-assisted therapy as a proposed intervention in palliative care. Its history, premises and treatment objectives

Abstract

Dog-assisted therapy, a branch of animal-assisted therapy (AAT), facilitates rehabilitation, treatment and care through patients’ contact with a pet therapy dog. Engaging patients in such activities as stroking or massaging a dog, boosts the endocrine system and stimulates the release of endogenous substances alleviating pain and improving patients’ well-being. In the same way, the patient’s immune system is boosted and the release of cortisol and noradrenalin — hormones activated in response to stress — reduced. Dog-assisted therapy thrived in the 20th century. In 1996 Delta Society (Pet Partners since 2012) set practical standards, defining the role animals play in therapy, according to which AAT involves meeting and play, while animal-assisted activity (AAA) is a dog assisted therapy directed to provide a concrete assistance in treating specific health conditions. Assistance Dogs Europe (ADEu) added animal assisted education (AAE) as a new category. Kynotherapy positively affects patients’ well-being and their physical activity. Nevertheless, despite its numerous beneficial effects, animal-assisted therapy is rarely used in palliative care.