Last week Dr. Costrini and I made hospital rounds together, where we visited a retired veterinarian hospitalized for management of cancer. The patient had reported to Dr. Costrini that he loved dogs and wondered if arrangements could be made for a visit. Since dogs for the blind, police dogs and fund-raising pigs (American Diabetes Association Kiss-a-Pig Program) are allowed in hospitals, we visited the patient.

I went to the patient’s room and he was delighted by my unannounced arrival. We exchanged greetings and I could tell that we would be friends. As I’m a rather large canine at 4 feet, 120 pounds, it was difficult to be inconspicuous. The patient in the next room came to her door and asked if I could stop and visit with her for a while. My patient didn’t mind, so I took a few minutes to meet with her. She told me she had a toy poodle whom she missed terribly during her hospital stay, which was going into its second week. She said she wasn’t strong enough to leave the floor and vague hospital rules prevented the family from bringing her dog up to see her.

My patient and I left the floor for the garden, where he fed me an ice cream bar – my favorite treat. He ate some of the snack as well and told me of his veterinary practice in Australia. We all had a great time. Upon return to the floor, several other patients came out of their rooms to visit. I stopped to communicate with each of them. They all wanted to talk. Most had pets of their own at home. Since 60 percent of households have pets, it stands to reason that many hospitalized patients have pets they miss and would like to see while confined to a hospital bed.

Meanwhile, Dr. Costrini has reported that my vet friend is not well at all. The good doctor told me that my visit improved his patient’s spirits, reduced that sense of loneliness and promoted a calmness. Dr. Costrini, in a moment of stark truthfulness, also admitted that I had done more for the patient than he or the other specialists combined.

In recent years, the impact of pets on human health and the role of pets in a variety of health-care settings have been studied. Labeled animal-assisted therapy (AAT), researchers have found that pets promote a sense of well-being, reduce anxiety and depression, reduce pulse and blood pressure, reduce dependency in patients with disabilities, and even reduce heart attack mortality. AAT has been applied in pediatric, adolescent, adult and aged-care programs in outpatient settings, hospitals, nursing homes, intensive care, rehabilitation and psychiatric units. Hospitals are developing new policies regarding AAT. Concerns are raised about allergies to animal hair, other patient rights and the risk of infection, which is practically nil. These concerns seem manageable compared to the documented benefits of animal-assisted therapy.

As a canine health-care observer, I would like to see visitation programs for pets. I would also suggest free ice cream for these visitors.