From man's best friend to doctor's helper: dogs and other animals are so adept at making people feel good, medical institutions enlist them to help heal patients. Berna Cox reports on an organisation called Peata and its unconventional therapists
There was, we were told as children, definite curative powers in a dog's lick. A minor burn or scratch was often offered to the family mutt for a pink, scratchy lick. Not, perhaps, the most antiseptic of solutions, and maybe there was no medical benefit, but - rather like the mummy-kiss-it-better routine - it was comforting and warm and administered by a trusted, loving friend. If you felt better afterwards, the chances are it was the comfort of the canine cuddle rather than the doggie drool.
But leaving the realm of folklore and entering the world of health science, it is now widely accepted that pets have a therapeutic value recognised and respected by health professionals the world over.
Pet Facilitated Therapy (PFT) is conducted in more than 80 institutions in the Republic and is provided largely by Peata - a voluntary organisation which organises regular pet visits to hospitals and residential homes. The demand is outstripping supply, such is the belief among medical professionals that pet therapy works.
Joan O'Callaghan is a psychiatrist with the Eastern Regional Health Authority, a board member of Peata, and a passionate believer in the benefits of PFT. A pet, she says, particularly a dog, is a good "social facilitator".
"People who are withdrawn or depressed often come alive when they have a visit from a pet - it's a tactile experience. Warm and furry." She was delighted, she says, to see the Irish team's uninhibited hugs at the World Cup. She laments the fact that our society is not inclined to be tactile anymore. The unconditional and uninhibited nature of a pet's devotion can often be a lifeline. And not just in an institutional setting.
"Sometimes being within a family", says O'Callaghan, "can be the loneliest place in the world. Some families just don't communicate, and a family pet is a constant who can be 'talked' to and whose love is unconditional."
More practically, she continues, a pet teaches important life lessons - how to nurture and care and develop a sense of responsibility. The sense of caring and responsibility carries through to adulthood and can assist in keeping an individual socially active. Elderly people, she says, who otherwise might not be inclined to go out or take exercise, will look after their pet which, in turn, is good for themselves. They have an interest and a reason to get out and walk, which is good for their physical and mental well-being.
John Bainbridge, a vet practising in Dublin, was a founder member of Peata in 1996. He is currently its chairperson.
"I became aware over the years," he says, "of international developments in the use of pet therapy and thought it was time we did something here." With the co-operation of medical personnel and willing pet owners, Peata was set up. As a vet, Bainbridge was the ideal instigator - most of the original volunteer visitors were his clients.
Rose Coyle, nurse in charge of the day hospital at the James Connolly Memorial Hospital in Blanchardstown, Co Dublin was a very willing trailblazer. "I had read a lot about PFT and thought it would be useful in our situation."
Coyle's unit deals with the psychiatry of old age, and typical patients are over 65, suffering from depression, anxiety or Alzheimer's disease. "PFT is tried and tested here," she says. "Patients are more spontaneous, and it helps staff build a rapport with them."
Dr Margo Wrigley, psychiatrist to the unit, welcomed the instigation of pet therapy and is currently writing up research into PFT as observed in Blanchardstown. Other medical professionals who worked in the unit have used their experience there as the basis of theses and study papers.
PET therapy is not limited to psychiatric disorders. It is proving to be extremely useful in the area of brain injury and subsequent rehabilitation. Mary Seymour is nurse manager of the Brain Injury Service at the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Dún Laoghaire. Most of the patients in her unit have suffered brain injury as a result of road accidents and need physiotherapy and occupational therapy as part of their rehabilitation regime. Sometimes, she says, the aim of a particular session of occupational therapy might be simply to get the patient to reach for something. The pet is placed on a table within arm's length and the patient will achieve the aim by reaching for the pet.
"Physiotherapy, too," says Seymour, "can be physically painful. A pet being present can be a great distraction and take the patient's mind off the pain." The aim of rehabilitation, she says, is "to make life worth living". The input of the pet visitors is considered to be a very valuable tool in crafting the recovery.
Kato, a seven-year-old Irish Wheaten Terrier, and her owner, Ian Thompson, visit the Rehabilitation Hospital three times a week. As a team, they've been Peata visitors for four years.
They started out visiting once a week but, on request, they now visit more often. Staff in the brain injury unit are interested in observing the effects of more frequent visits. They also hope to experiment with prolonged visits - at the moment, Ian and Kato might spend 10 to 15 minutes in various parts of the unit. They're now looking at the possibility of bringing in Kato's beanbag and leaving her alone in the unit for a longer period of time.
Kato, according to Thompson, has a lovely disposition, which is extremely important. "She just seems to know exactly what to do." The visiting teams of owner and dog are a unit. They are assessed as such by Peata before they embark on a visiting programme. "Sometimes," says Thompson, "the pet might be a perfect candidate, but the scheme might not suit the owner".
Commitment, it seems, is vitally important. Patients look forward to a pet visit, and it's extremely important not to let them down. The owner must be prepared to commit the time to grooming their pet, travelling to the institution in question, spending the time there and travelling home. It is completely voluntary. That said, it has certain rewards. Seeing the response of animation and joy in the patient and knowing that you're contributing to their recovery are very rewarding, according to Thompson. "I don't think I'd be doing it if I wasn't getting that out of it."
For residential visiting, small animals are best, according to Bainbridge - dogs, cats and rabbits are favoured because of their tactile qualities and tame nature. Dogs top the list because of their general intelligence and "people" skills. If there is a problem with visiting, he says, it's the insurance issue. Peata must provide expensive comprehensive insurance, which is a huge drawback to providing the service to the growing number of institutions requesting it.
Some institutions, though, opt to keep a residential pet, and often favour cats, birds and fish.
Caring for any pet is a responsibility that demands varying degrees of commitment. It seems, though, that they return the favour. Maybe the folklore surrounding the qualities of a dog's lick isn't entirely without scientific foundation. If nothing else, there's that warm and furry, feel-good factor.