Pets as therapy: benefits for all ages

Pets and mental health

Most pet owners are proud of how they care for their animals but how do our pets take care of us? It turns out they can have a hugely positive effect on how we feel:

• Anxiety and stress - just 10 minutes of playtime with a cat or dog can lower levels of a major stress hormone called cortisol in our bodies, while stroking them can lower blood pressure¹.

• Depression and happiness - as the stress hormone cortisol decreases, the amount of the happy hormone serotonin increases, making us feel much happier and reducing symptoms of depression².

On the back of this, pet charities - such as Pets As Therapy (PAT) - have set up across the UK to give animal companionship for those who need it. For example, specially trained therapy dogs visit airports, care homes, hospices, hospitals, prisons, and schools, encouraging smiles and bringing people a sense of calm.

Although therapy dogs are bred and trained to have friendly temperaments, a household pet needn't be an official therapy dog - or even a dog at all - to share many of the same mood-boosting qualities.

Anyone can experience the mental health benefits of pets, but for some, using pets as therapy can be significant:

Pets as therapy for...

Children with autism, ADHD, and ADD

Growing up with pets as a child can boost mental well-being, support cognitive development, and improve many important life skills - including emotional intelligence, mobility, and vocabulary.

For a child with a neurodevelopmental disorder, such as autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), the benefits can be even more far-reaching.

When it comes to pets as therapy, it's not all about dogs.According to Foster Care Associates, a UK child fostering agency, cats, guinea pigs, and rats also make suitable pets for children with autism⁶. Like dogs, these furry friends can make a friendly, strokable, and lovable playmate for your child - unlike dogs, they can be kept in a classroom so your child can enjoy interactions at school. What's more, small creatures like guinea pigs also come with a much lighter price tag.

Struggling teenagers

Adolescence can be a stressful time, but research shows that spending time with dogs can make life that little bit more manageable. One 2019 study found that 10 to19-year-olds who struggled with anxiety, stress, anger, and related disorders felt improvements in their mental health following therapy dog visits⁷. This mental health boost also had positive real-life consequences. For example, many students became less disruptive and more engaged in social situations.

As a result, therapy dog sessions are becoming increasingly popular in UK universities. They are often brought in around exam times to help counteract some of the stress and pressure many students feel.

Patient picks for Mental health therapy

Treatment and medication

Can you have therapy if you don't have a mental health problem?

There are many misconceptions about therapy, including that it's only for people who are struggling with a mental health problem. This is not necessarily the case. Therapy can be a great way to explore and understand the issues we navigate every day, including decisions to do with work, relationships or general life.

by Lydia Smith

Treatment and medication

Anger management

All human beings experience anger. Anger is a normal, natural emotion which helps us recognise that we, or people and things we care about, are being treated badly. It is a hostility which we can feel towards people, but also towards animals and inert objects. Anger can be an urgent feeling, which can arise quickly and which feels it demands us to act, or a slow burn which constantly affects our thoughts. It is often physically as well as emotionally uncomfortable, as it has physical as well as psychological components. Anger can be good if it helps you right wrongs, deal with problems and express negative feelings. However, it can also be bad, as it can be harmful both to you and to others, damaging relationships and affecting your ability to succeed as you hope. The way we manage anger is something learned through life, and is affected by our experiences. However, human beings are constantly capable of learning better strategies to deal with anger, to use anger more positively and to both recognise and avoid, its possible harmful effects. This leaflet describes some anger management strategies. However, if you feel your anger is, or is at risk of, harming you or others, then consider seeking help through anger management counselling, which will help you understand the source of your anger and to put these, and other, strategies into practice.

by Dr Mary Elisabeth Lowth, FRCGP

People with PTSD

After going through or seeing a terrifying event people may have post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, which can can cause severe anxiety. It's important to find the right treatment for you, and in recent years there has been promising results for animal lovers with PTSD:

People with physical health concerns

Pets as therapy needn't just be about pets and mental health. As well as emotional support, some pets offer physical health benefits. This applies to dogs, horses, and any other animals that need exercise, in the process it encourages us to be regularly active.

Regular exercise is particularly important if you need to combat or avoid weight-related health problems, such as reducing your risk of cardiovascular problems or type 2 diabetes. Physical activity can also aid recovery from surgery, heart failure, stroke, and other conditions that can affect your motor skills.

You don't need a dog to go on daily walks, but having a dog naturally integrates this exercise into daily life - and when you're having fun with your furry best friend, this can feel more like fun-time than physical time. In fact, dog-walking is great for your all-round health, because spending time outdoors can also do wonders for your mental well-being.

Elderly dealing with loneliness

The strong bonds we form with our pets can positively influence our lives. Perhaps the most obvious outcome is that taking care of a pet can make us feel less lonely. This is true at any age, but for the elderly in the UK, loneliness is a major issue - affecting around 1.4 million people⁹.

With this in mind, pet support programmes try to let elderly people without animals benefit from the joys of pet ownership¹⁰. The effectiveness of these programmes provides hope that this crisis of loneliness can be tackled in more places in the future.

Further reading

1. Harvard Health Publishing: Having a dog can help your heart - literally.

2. Ambrosi et al: Randomized controlled study on the effectiveness of animal-assisted therapy on depression, anxiety, and illness perception in institutionalized elderly.

3. Dogs Trust: As Blue Monday strikes, new research shows dogs bring joy.

4. Hall et al: What factors are associated with positive effects of dog ownership in families with children with autism spectrum disorder?

5. UCI Health: ADHD: could dogs be the answer?

6. Foster Care Associates: How animals can help autistic children.

7. Jones et al: Incorporating animal-assisted therapy in mental health treatments for adolescents.

8. Johnson et al: Effects of therapeutic horseback riding on post-traumatic stress disorder in military veterans.

9. Age UK: Loneliness research and resources.

10. Cryer et al: Pawsitive connections: the role of pet support programs and pets on the elderly.