Do animals (dogs in particular) have the ability to reduce
symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder? That’s the question, which over the
past few years has been floating around newspapesr and magazine publications,
and has received worldwide recognition and attention from both local television
stations, and larger multi-media sharing sites.
Five years ago, I would have argued my doubt about the
ability of animals reducing any symptoms of anxiety; that was, until I saw firsthand
just how instrumental the bond between our family dog Xander and my husband has
been in successfully minimizing the first signs of an anxiety attack and in
some cases, stopping the anxiety attacks my husband often experiences. It was
December 2007- the hubby and I were catching a few red tag Christmas sales
items at one of our local department stores, when he suddenly began having one
of the worst anxiety attacks he had ever experienced to date. The anxiety was
so overwhelming, he actually began to sweat, hyperventilate, and lose control
of his motor skills before we could make it out the store. Because we didn’t
expect to be out very long, we didn’t take any meds that had been prescribed by
his doctor to combat anxiety attacks; by the time we made it home, he was in a full-fledged
attack, that I honestly thought even meds could not diminish. I didn’t know
what to do, or if anything could be done at all, but what I did notice was
Xander’s reaction to seeing the hubby in this condition. He immediately nudged
the hubby onto his back, and curled up onto his chest pawing at his shoulder
until my hubby lay completely flat on the bed. Although I had already managed
to get one pill safely into my hubby’s mouth, it was Xander who was able to
slowly stop the anxiety attack. Within 45 minutes (I’m aware that seems like a
long time to wait for results, but as many of you know even with meds anxiety
attacks can last for hours- sometimes even days without resolve) my hubby was
able to finally calm down.
I was, and still am convinced that Xander’s quick attention
was the reason that anxiety attack didn’t end with a trip to the VA ER. Since
that day both my husband and I have been diligently doing research on service
dogs, and the benefits of having one specifically for PTSD and TBI. The best description
I have heard to date of how beneficial having a service dog in the home of
someone suffering from PSTD can be found in a March 2010 article on the
homepage of the united states Army: www.army.mil.
The article quotes Alicia Miller, an Army veteran and cofounder of Operation
Wolfhound:
“Medication works 50
percent of the time. Talk therapy, alone, works 30 percent of the time, and
dogs work 84.5 percent of the time. The dogs are proven effective. It’s a much
better deal for the veterans because they don’t have to worry about the side
effects of medication”
I fully agree with this statement, and couldn’t have said it
better myself. Speaking from personal experience, and as I have already
addressed in a previous post, side effects of meds can be just as dangerous as
the symptoms they are intended to remedy. PTSD is not as easy to cure as prescribing
a pill, or speaking to a therapist, and to that, continued attention to the
problem itself is needed if there is chance or hope at reducing the effects of
the problem itself.
Besides supplying unconditional love, affection, comfort,
and support to the Veteran or person in need, just look at all the other useful
tricks service dogs can be trained to assist with.
I know I’m extremely thankful for Xander, and I know he is
helping my husband fight PTSD. If you are interested in a service dog for your warrior or yourself, talk to
your VA Primary Care Physician, and ask for a recommendation letter. They may
require an assessment, but if you or your warrior is being treated for PTSD or
TBI, you could qualify for a service dog. There are also sites you may be interested
in to obtain more information about service animals that I will share below.
Good luck everyone! And as always, take care.
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| My Hubby and our officially crowned "Service Dog" Xander |
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