A dog's love has real medicinal effects, study reveals

Dogs recognize their owners by their voice, according to study 0:55

(CNN) --

Dogs might now be doctors' best friends, too.

For patients experiencing pain in the emergency room, spending as little as 10 minutes with a dog can help reduce discomfort, according to a study published Wednesday.

The results corroborate what dog lovers have suspected for a long time: the love of these animals cures all ills.

It also brings a bit of optimism to patients and health professionals, who often have to deal with scarce hospital resources in the midst of the covid-19 pandemic.

"There's research showing that pets are an important part of our health in different ways. They motivate us, they lift our spirits, (give us) routines, the human-animal bond," said study lead author Colleen Dell, Principal Investigator of One Health and Wellness and Professor at the University of Saskatchewan.

The study, which was published in the academic journal

, asked more than 200 emergency room patients to rate their level of pain on a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 being the highest level).

A control group received no intervention for their pain, while participants in the other group received 10 minutes with a therapy dog, after which patients re-rated their pain levels, according to the study.

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Participants who were visited by dogs reported less pain.

The study has strong methodology, said Jessica Chubak, a senior investigator at the Kaiser Permanente Institute for Health Research in Washington.

Chubak, who was not involved in the report, noted that there is still a lot to learn about therapy dogs.

"The results of the study are promising," he said in an email.

"Our current understanding of the effects of therapy dog ​​visits to emergency departments is quite limited. Therefore, further research in this area is especially important."

Dell hopes that studies like this one will take away the question of whether therapy dogs are useful in a medical context.

And, instead, begin to ask how they help and how to better integrate them into health teams.

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At the hospital

The patients' experience in the emergency room may also contribute to their level of pain.

Bright lights, long waits, anxiety and focusing on immediate and acute conditions can make it worse, says Erin Beckwell, who has suffered from chronic pain for much of her life and owns a dog.

"It's not a place where you're usually ushered into a comfortable, quiet room and offers us some kind of specific intervention," he said.

"It's usually suggestions of things you've already tried, and then you get sent home after a long, agonizing, anxiety-provoking, pain-filled wait," she continued.

"You may not walk away feeling like you were really heard."

Some people have the misperception that using therapy dogs can transmit disease and compromise hygiene in a hospital setting.

But, Dell said there are ways healthcare providers can use them hygienically to make the entire system work better.

Mike MacFadden, a nurse based in Canada, said he sees great potential in incorporating therapy dogs as part of a holistic approach to emergency room pain management.

Which could help everyone involved, he pointed out.

"Emergency department teams can feel conflicted and experience moral distress from their inability to meet their own expectations for optimal care. Because people's experience of pain is multifaceted, we know that a multifaceted approach is best." beneficial to meet the needs of patients," McFadden said.

"The presence of a therapy dog ​​not only brings the benefits of supporting the patient experience, but I think it's also a comfort to care providers," she added.

Hunter, a therapy dog, and his handler, Amanda Woelk (right), sit with 2-year-old Tyler Regier (center) and his mother, Tina Regier (left), at Mercy Children's Hospital in Kansas City , Mo.

In the home

Pain can be considered both a physical and a social experience, says Michelle Gagnon, associate professor of psychology and health studies at the University of Saskatchewan.

Gagnon was not involved in the study.

Anxiety, depression, being supported or rejected can influence how we experience pain, he said.

It makes sense that spending time with a creature who brings you joy and doesn't invalidate your feelings could help you feel better.

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"I think the things you can get from pets and some of the positive emotions that being with them can elicit may have an impact on the experience of pain itself," she said.

Beckwell said he has personally experienced it with his 10-year-old cocker spaniel, Reilly, as he has suffered from arthritis and autoimmune disorders.

"I feel more in control of the situation and less scared or anxious about the severity of my pain, the duration of my pain, that kind of thing when I have that unconditional support from my dog," Beckwell said.

"She comes, and she's learned over the years that when I'm in pain she can't sit on my lap."

"I don't need to tell her, she knows," Beckwell said.

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