Therapy Pets

By Esme

In the modern world, social anxiety, loneliness and depression are scarily common. In teenagers, poor mental health is especially concentrated, approximately 4.5 million people below the age of 18 suffer from diagnosed anxiety, and around 2 million suffer from diagnosed depression.

Having a therapy pet can lower loneliness through animal companionship, they also keep you to a routine and give you something to wake up for - helping with depression - and even release endorphins which make you feel happier and calmer in yourself. As well as this, therapy pets are proven to lower blood pressure, improve cardiovascular health, and diminishes overall physical pain. Also, the act of petting an animal produces an automatic relaxation response, reducing the amount of medication some people need.

A couple years ago my family got a kitten, and since then our mental health has gotten steadily better, and even brought us closer together as a family unit. Without my cat, I don’t think my family would be at the point it’s at today.

Some good animals as therapy pets:

Dogs

• Labradors

• Golden Retrievers

• Collies

Cats

• Persian

• Siamese

• Moggy

Birds

• Chickens

• Parrots

• Cockatoos

“Pocket pets”

• Ferret

• Guinea Pigs

• Chinchillas

Reptiles

• Lizards

• Snakes

• Tortoise

Horses

• Quarter horses

• Appaloosa horses

• Paint horses

Of course there are many other animals which are suited to the role of a ‘therapy pet’, these six categories are just the most common. Scientists, psychologists, doctors and animal specialists are constantly discovering new information on the positive effects of therapy pets, so even now we may not yet know the depths to which pets can help us, both mentally and physically. But, we do know that they can greatly help, and definitely have a positive effect on health.

However, don’t purchase a therapy pet without first making sure you have the space and money to look after it. Don’t go rushing in to later realise you can’t afford to buy all the equipment needed and the food. Don’t compromise on the animal’s happiness just because you didn’t think the decision through. But, in the end, animals do have a great impact on health, and if you have the means to take care of one, I highly recommend you do.