ANIMAL ASSISTED THERAPY

Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) is defined as “the introduction of an animal into the immediate surroundings of an individual, or a group, as a medium of interaction with a therapeutics purpose.” Pets were used as a part of therapy as early as 1792 and the US military started using dogs with psychiatric patients as early as 1919. Dr Boris Levinson recognized the value of the human pet bonding in 1961 for the treatment of schizophrenia, and helped ground the patient.
There is much evidence in terms of physiologic parameters, like blood pressure, cortisol level, and immune functioning that interaction with pets reduces the body’s response to stress. There are numerous studies both in adults and children, in a variety of settings not only hospitals, indisputable value in utilizing AAT. There were no known risks, and in one study during a 5 year period involving over 3000 dogs, there were no zoonotic infections.