Shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, I wrote about dental therapy dogs and the potential benefits and risks associated with having dogs in dentists’ offices to alleviate patient stress. A pilot study (Gussgard et al, Clin Exp Dent Res 2023) has since been done looking at the impact of therapy dogs on
COVID-19 and Pet Visitation Programs
As things continue to gradually open up (more gradually in some areas than others), myriad questions of “can we do…” or “how do we do…” come up. One that I’m getting increasingly is about pet visitation or pet therapy programs. These programs can be very valuable to patients in hospitals and residents in
Service, therapy and emotional support animal odds and ends, Part 2
Following up on the lighthearted rant about fake emotional support animals, it’s important to remember that animals can do great things in many situations. Dental offices weren’t really on my radar until Dr. Anne Gussgard from the UiT Arctic University of Norway contacted me about the work her team was doing with dog-assisted therapy in
American Family Physician: Enhancing Patient Care Through Time with Animals
Here’s a case scenario in a “Curbside Commentary” from the journal American Family Physician (Mani and Weese, 2016).
A 16-year-old girl and her parents presented to my office for her wellness evaluation. The patient has generalized anxiety disorder with comorbid major depression, for which she has been prescribed a serotonergic antidepressant. She is