‘I Wanted Legitimate Support’ – Actress Selma Blair on How Her Service Dog Helps Her With Multiple Sclerosis, as Dog Therapy Appreciation Day Approaches

As National Pet Therapy Day approaches, we look at the benefits our furry friends can provide us as we continue our journeys.

“He is very handsome and friendly, but if you see me and Scout, and we are working (which he really always is, as am I), then give a smile, but please don’t approach,” Blair wrote in an Instagram post.

“Scout helps me with some personal stumbling blocks and aids in my mobility,” Blair said.

Blair got Scout in 2021 because, according to People Magazine, she wanted “legitimate support” as a single mom.

Pet therapy is a form of animal-assisted intervention (AAI) that includes equine-assisted therapy (horse therapy) and canine-assisted interactions (dog therapy). Researchers who studied animal therapy’s impact on cancer patients published their findings in Integrative Cancer Therapies, a peer-reviewed open-access journal.

Animal therapy is subdivided into two categories: animal-assisted activities and animal-assisted therapies. Animal-assisted activities may include meet-and-greets, while animal-assisted therapies include a structured activity to achieve a clinical outcome. Horseback riding for cancer patients to enhance mobility is an example of animal-assisted therapy.

RELATED: Dog from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Set to Wow Westminster.

Colon cancer survivor and reality TV star Sharon Osbourne is known to rely on her dogs as she traversed her cancer journey.

Bestselling author and wife of musician Jon Batiste, Suleika Jaouad, was diagnosed with leukemia and relies on her cancer therapy dog, River, to help her through her cancer journey.

Metastatic breast cancer warrior and actress Shannen Doherty is a lover of horses and spends as much time as possible with horses while she continues her stage 4 breast cancer journey.

Anecdotal evidence from SurvivorNet’s experts says that having a positive mood through cancer can benefit treatment. And scientific evidence around depression and cancer shows that treating depression impacts cancer treatment positively. In such moments, aids like cancer therapy dogs can play a tremendous role. However, for more severe cases of anxiety and depression, speak to a psychologist before pursuing treatment or support from a furry friend.

How Multiple Sclerosis Affects Selma Blair

Multiple sclerosis causes the immune system to attack cells that form the protective sheath that covers nerve fibers in the spinal cord. The disruption leads to communication problems between the brain and the rest of the body. Once the protective barrier is damaged, the spinal cord struggles to communicate to the body’s arms, legs, and other parts to function normally.

Symptoms often associated with multiple sclerosis may include numbness, tingling, or sudden limb weakness that affects just one side of the body. Common symptoms include vision problems, lack of coordination, unsteady gait, and fatigue.

There is no cure for MS, but MS warriors battling the disease do have methods to manage their symptoms.

WATCH: ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’ Is Inspiration for Anybody With Multiple Sclerosis

Common tools MS patients use to improve their quality of life include wheelchairs, canes, leg braces, and some medical treatments called disease-modifying therapies (DMTs).

A study in American Family Physician found that DMTs “has been shown to slow disease progression and disability; options include injectable agents, infusions, and oral medications targeting different sites in the inflammatory pathway.”

DMTs help stave off attacks of the disease and prevent relapses, which are triggered when the central nervous system becomes inflamed.

The drug mitoxantrone, which has been used as a DMT, is currently the only chemotherapeutic agent approved for the treatment of MS in the United States. An injection is usually given once every three months for about two to three years. The drug only helps control the disease and does not cure it.

While chemotherapy is widely known as a cancer treatment, it is also effective at slowing down or stopping disease activity in MS.

Blair underwent chemotherapy as part of her treatment for MS. She shared a photo on her Instagram post-chemotherapy of her hair regrowth after losing it during treatment, a common side effect of chemotherapy.

“A large amount of our chemotherapies do cause hair loss, not all of them,” Vivian Rusziewicz, a Nurse Practitioner for Ohio Health, told SurvivorNet.

“Generally, in terms of hair loss, it would begin about three weeks, three to four weeks, after your first chemotherapy treatment. Generally, people will start to see some regrowth about four to six weeks after their last treatment. As long as you aren’t being treated with another medication that might cause hair loss,” Rusziewicz added.

Questions for Your Doctor

If you have been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, you may be interested in learning more about treatment options to help you manage your symptoms best. Below are some questions to help kickstart a conversation with your doctor about solutions.

• What forms of treatment do you believe would be most effective based on my MS symptoms?
• Are there any side effects I should expect if I started the recommended treatment?
• How likely am I to be eligible for HSCT chemotherapy to help treat my MS?

Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.

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