Many in the SurvivorNet community have shared how pets have helped them in their cancer journeys, both emotionally and giving them more energy to get through the day. Most recently, breast cancer survivor Anahà de Cárdenas, who is documenting her journey on social media, tells SurvivorNet that her “four cats and a dog are a key factor in my recovery!”
“Nothing makes me happier than my 4-legged kids! Animals are wonderful, therapeutic, and spiritual!” says Anahà de Cárdenas, 36, elaborated on Instagram.
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Anahi, an actress and model in Lima, Peru, wrote in another post that “they accompany us…in the most difficult moments.”Therapy Dogs in Hospitals and Cancer Centers
People don’t have to own pets to get the benefits of pet therapy. In fact, trained therapy dogs are turning up at chemo centers and hospitals, ready to give patients a furry distraction from chemotherapy and the tedium of treatments. They can even help those patients not up for human visitors but who are feeling lonely.
At New York’s Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Caring Canine teams make regularly scheduled bedside and lounge visits, even turning up on holidays, which can be the loneliest times for patients.
Alison Snow, who works in cancer support services at Mount Sinai, told SurvivorNet that there’s research to show that animal visits to hospitals can be extremely beneficial to people battling cancer, as well as other ailments.
"You can hear the excitement in the air when the dog is around and there is research to show that having animal-assisted visits is helpful to patients going through cancer in terms of lowering blood pressure, reducing anxiety, decreasing depression, and overall, helping patients feel less isolated," she said.
While some may fear the germs these animals bring into hospitals, the Sloane Kettering website notes that “studies of animal-assisted therapy have shown that healthy and properly cared for dogs are not a health risk for hospitalized patients. … Handlers follow infection control procedures and wash their hands frequently. Dogs and handlers must follow strict hygiene standards.”
To make hospital visits, therapy dogs must be certified and insured. Those at Sloan Kettering program are certified by one of three nationally recognized and insured dog therapy organizations: Delta Society, Therapy Dog International, or Good Dog Foundation.
‘I'm Only Thinking About That Dog’
Bone cancer survivor Richard Mark previously spoke with SurvivorNet about the positive impact of visits from therapy dogs during his chemotherapy treatment at Mount Sinai. The dogs, he said, help take his mind off of the challenges of chemotherapy.
"When I'm doing chemotherapy, I'm waiting and times going by. Maybe I'm worrying about my numbers or how [my] treatment is going. And all of the sudden a cute little dog goes by, then I'm not thinking about those things," Richard told SurvivorNet. "I'm only thinking about that dog."
Richard Marks talks about pet therapy.
Richard's pet therapy was courtesy of The Good Dog Foundation, an organization that promotes recovery from trauma and stress using animal-assisted therapy services. In Richard's case, he spent his chemotherapy days with a rescue dog named Bowie. Sarah Conroy, Bowie's owner, became certified to visit hospitals with her pooch through the Good Dog Foundations. She told SurvivorNet that Bowie loves visiting his friends in the hospital, but for him "It's more about getting pet messages."
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