Pet Therapy “Medicine for the Soul”

Mae Hammond had a rough couple of days in the hospital. Recovering slowly after surgery, the cancer patient received a powerful pick-me-up when she was able to see a familiar face and feel a cold, wet nose.

Hammond received a visit in the hospital from her dog Princess, a stray she adopted six years ago. She stroked the dog’s ears and said, “This is wonderful. To me, having her here makes all the difference in the world.”

Princess’ trip to the hospital was the first personal pet visit at The Methodist Hospital, in a new program that provides an extra measure of support for patients.

The pet visitation program allows personal pets to visit their masters in the hospital for a short time, usually about an hour. The program – the first of its kind in Houston – is the brainchild of Methodist advanced practice nurse Kelli Gershon and Marcia Levetown, M.D., director of palliative care at The Methodist Hospital.

“Because they give comfort and unconditional love, pets have a special place in their families’ hearts,” said Gershon. “Enabling a patient to see his or her favorite pet is like medicine for the soul.”

Levetown and Gershon worked with many people and departments within the hospital – including Kathryn Hawkins, director of infection control and patient safety, as well as representatives from clinical areas – to develop the pilot program.

Methodist works in partnership with a Houston-based nonprofit group called Pets Are Wonderful Support, or PAWS, Houston, to make sure the pets have proper vaccinations and temperaments to make such a visit, and to transport the animals to and from the hospital. PAWS Houston also cares for a patient’s pet at home while the patient is hospitalized.

Donna Dishman, chief operating officer of PAWS Houston, brought Princess in a pet carrier to the critical care unit where Mae Hammond was receiving care. When Hammond saw her little black-and-white pet, she cried with happiness.

“When you are sick, it’s not a small thing for your cat to curl up in your lap or your dog to nuzzle your hand,” said Dishman.

PAWS Houston, founded in 2002, helps low-income people living with disabling illnesses to keep their pets by providing pet food, veterinary care, grooming, dog walking, emergency foster care and community education.

Animal-assisted therapy dates back to the 18th century. Seeing, touching and talking to an animal helps patients to be more comfortable and responsive, Levetown said, and recent research suggests that contact with a pet has a therapeutic benefit for the sick.

“Beginning in 1980, researchers began exploring how pet ownership affects physical and mental health,” she explained. “Seeing, touching and talking to a pet in the hospital is a powerful gift for these patients, at a time when they really need it the most.”

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©2006 Texas Medical Center

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