Guest Writer Laura Wright
Emotional Support Animals for Cancer Patients
A cancer diagnosis can flip a person’s life upside down. Individuals living with cancer experience a tiring and unique journey that can require special support to fight their condition.
There are many ways to treat cancer such as chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery. All of these treatments aim to eliminate the presence of cancer in the body and improve any uncomfortable physical symptoms.
In addition to lifesaving medical treatment, many patients may seek emotional support to help them through their fight against cancer. Popular choices for this include counseling, support groups, online forums, and more.
Many people do not realize that emotional support animals have many physical, emotional, and mental benefits for individuals fighting cancer.
The Benefits of Emotional Support Animals for Patients Fighting Cancer
Oftentimes, cancer patients feel alone in their journey. They may not have anyone to relate to or connect with. Animals are incredibly empathetic creatures that cancer patients can lean on when they need it most, creating a sense of companionship.
Some patients may be unable to leave the house due to their condition, and may not be as active as they were before their diagnosis. Emotional support animals can promote healthy habits and eliminate feelings of boredom, providing the patient with a sense of normalcy and activity.
Cancer treatment can be stressful and can cause patients to feel anxious or depressed. Emotional support animals have been proven to ease these feelings of stress, depression, and anxiety.
Emotional support animals can also provide encouragement for cancer patients to keep fighting – no matter how hard it may be. Patients with support animals can feel inspired and needed, giving them the psychological support needed to continue with treatment to defeat cancer.
No one deserves to navigate a cancer diagnosis alone. During a journey with many highs and lows, finding an emotional support animal to fit the needs of a cancer patient can give them the support they need to keep on fighting.
Animals such as dogs, cats, and other mammals have been proven to be very beneficial to cancer patients while they are undergoing treatment. Support animals can have physical, mental, and emotional benefits for lung cancer patients. Types of support animals include emotional support animals and service animals.
Emotional support animals (ESAs) are meant to provide individuals with care and companionship for patients undergoing cancer treatment. The most common emotional support animals are dogs or cats.
Emotional support animals can:
Create an emotional connection during a difficult time
Distract a patient when they are in pain
Ease feelings of anxiety
Eliminate feelings of isolation
Keep patients occupied and eliminate boredom
Relieve symptoms of depression
Socialize patients who are unable to leave the house
The main goal of emotional support animals is to comfort patients and feel inspired to continue with cancer treatment even when they are discouraged or weak.
A 2015 study from Beth Israel Medical Center tested the efficacy of animal-assisted visits in improving the quality of life for head and neck cancer patients undergoing a combination of radiation and chemotherapy. The study found that there were great emotional benefits to having an animal visit during treatment.
“Having an animal-assisted visit significantly improved their quality of life and ‘humanized’ a high-tech treatment.”— Dr. Stewart B. Fleishman, principal investigator of the study
Emotional support animals can also benefit a cancer patient’s physical health. A study from the University of Pittsburgh found that the use of therapy dogs can help to decrease the need for pain medications in patients that suffer from chronic pain.
Service Animals for Cancer Patients
There are several differences between emotional support animals and service animals. According to the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), a service animal means any dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a physical or mental disability.
The ADA only allows dogs to be certified as service animals. Emotional support animals, comfort animals, and therapy dogs are not service animals under the ADA.
Service dogs can be beneficial to cancer patients that may require more help getting around and performing daily tasks, Especially if the patient does not have enough support from caregivers.
They can also help with small tasks such as:
Pressing buttons
Pulling wheelchairs
Retrieving dropped items
Dogs are also able to help cancer patients with keeping up with their treatment regimen by reminding them to take their medication or go to routine doctor visits.
How to Own a Support Animal
In order to own an emotional support animal:
According to Mental Health America, you must receive a prescription from a medical doctor, therapist, or psychiatrist showing you require the need for an emotional support animal. There is no special training required for a pet to be a certified emotional support animal.
Under the Fair Housing Act, ESAs are allowed to have their pet in their home even if the building has a policy banning pets and also bans any additional fees. ESAs may also be able to fly on planes with you for free. However, ESAs are not allowed in public places that do not allow pets.
In order to own a service dog:
You must receive written documentation from a healthcare provider that you require assistance from a service dog. Your dog must be trained to specifically relate and assist with your condition.
Service animals require in-depth training from professionals to become certified. Most service dogs are already trained by someone else to be service dogs for cancer patients. These rules can vary based on the state you live in, so it is important to talk to your doctor.
If you do not want to commit to owning an animal yourself, many cancer centers have therapy dog programs where trained dogs come visit patients getting treatment for 15-20 minutes to boost their mood.
Other Types of Support Animals for Cancer Patients
Although dogs are the most common support animal and the only animal recognized by the ADA as a service animal, there are other options.
Some other emotional support animals include:
Cats
Ferrets
Miniature horses
Monkeys
Parrots
Pigs
Contact your lung cancer specialist to learn more about adopting an emotional support or service animal, or the availability of therapy dogs at a cancer center near you. To learn more go to Mesothelioma Hope.
This article is dedicated to our wonderful team member who is fighting cancer, Mirian Hasani at K-9 Kats Pet Sitting. She is also my colleague at our sister company, The Kitty Shrink.
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