Health Benefits of Animal-Assisted Interventions

The use of animals in the promotion or improvement of health is long-standing, yet this complementary healing modality is not widely integrated into mainstream health care. This article describes the history of animals in therapeutic healing, defines animal-assisted interventions (AAIs), and reviews current research. Indications and contraindications for use with patients and clients and issues of safety, cost, reimbursement, and certification are discussed. AAIs result in statistically significant health benefits with improvements in blood pressure, heart rate, and salivary immunoglobulin A levels and in depression, anxiety, perceived quality of health, and loneliness. Although some studies are weak in experimental design, overall research reveals multiple indications with few contraindications for use of AAIs. Adherence to safety and pursuit of certifications helps ensure the success of AAIs. For the continued support and expansion of AAIs, further research is needed into the mechanism of action, settings, characteristics and species of animals, illness conditions, and client populations.