Children living with cancer not only must cope with the illness but have to undergo aggressive treatments and many unpleasant treatment side effects. Often these children suffer from distress due to frequent hospitalizations, numerous blood tests that require puncture with a needle, surgery, pain, fear of medical procedures, unpleasant physical symptoms, uncertainty, and worry about death.
Research suggests that animal-assisted therapy could be an efficacious adjunct to the standard medical management of children with cancer. Some studies suggest that dog-assisted therapy may help in multiple positive ways:
🐾 Dog-assisted therapy can alleviate psychological distress in children and parents
🐾 It can facilitate the children’s adaptation to the therapeutic process
🐾 Dog-assisted therapy can promote the children’s well-being while hospitalized
🐾 It can ease the child’s adjustment
🐾 It can improve physical exercise, socialization, and participation in recreational activities
🐾 It can help children to verbalize their fears and concerns
🐾 It may contribute to improving the quality of care
A group of doctor’s evaluated:
the physiological and psychosocial impact of animal-assisted therapy on children with cancer. The children who participated in the animal-assisted program indicated:
🐾 lower pain levels
🐾 less irritation
🐾 less stress
Although investigation on animal-assisted therapy in pediatric oncology remains sparse, the published research suggests that animal-assisted therapy can be a beneficial intervention to alleviate distress in children with cancer, their family, and caregivers.
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