Abstract
Animal-assisted therapy, including visits from certified therapy dogs, offer a valuable and often underutilized resource for addressing unmet needs in cancer patients. Prospective research studies have documented symptomatic benefits for reducing pain, psychological distress, and fatigue in a variety of patient populations, including cancer patients. Utilizing consistent policies minimizes patient risk and infection control concerns associated with animal visits.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Soothill K, Morris SM, Thomas C, et al. The universal, situational, and personal needs of cancer patients and their main carers. Eur J Oncol Nurs. 2003;7:5–16.
Horneber M, Bueschel G, Dennert G, Less D, Ritter E, Zwahlen M. How many cancer patients use complementary and alternative medicine: a systematic review and metaanalysis. Integr Cancer Ther. Epub 2011 Oct 21.
Söllner W, Maislinger S, DeVries A, et al. Use of complementary and alternative medicine by cancer patients is not associated with perceived distress or poor compliance with standard treatment but with active coping behavior: a survey. Cancer. 2000;89:873–80.
Heese O, Schmidt M, Nickel S, et al. Complementary therapy use in patients with glioma: an observational study. Neurology. 2010;75:2229–35.
Jia L. Cancer complementary and alternative medicine research at the US National Cancer Institute. Chin J Integr Med. Epub 2012 Jan 12.
Marcus DA. Therapy dogs in cancer care: a valuable complementary treatment. New York: Springer; 2012.
Coakley AB, Mahoney EK. Creating a therapeutic and healing environment with a pet therapy program. Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2009;15:141–6.
Marcus DA, Bernstein CD, Constantin JM, Kunkel FA, Breuer P, Hanlon RB. Animal-assisted therapy at an outpatient pain management clinic. Pain Med. 2012;13:45–57.
Orlandi M, Trangeled K, Mambrini A, et al. Pet therapy effects on oncological day hospital patients undergoing chemotherapy treatment. Anticancer Res. 2007;27:4301–4.
Lander DA, Graham-Pole JR. Love medicine for the dying and their caregivers: the body of evidence. J Health Psychol. 2008;13:201–12.
Bercovitz A, Sengupta M, Jones A, Harris-Kojetin LD. Complementary and alternative therapies in hospice: the National Home and Hospice Care Survey: United States, 2007. Natl Health Stat Rep. 2011;33:1–20.
Muschel IJ. Pet therapy with terminal cancer patients. Soc Casework. 1984;65:451–8.
LeFebvre SL, Golab GC, Christensen E, et al. Guidelines for animal-assisted interventions in health care facilities. Am J Infect Control. 2008;36:78–85.
Caprilli S, Messeri A. Animal-assisted activity at A. Meyer Children’s Hospital: a pilot study. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2006;3:379–83.
Carlson LE, Angen M, Cullum J, et al. High levels of untreated distress and fatigue in cancer patients. Br J Cancer. 2004;90:2297–304.
Lutgendorf SK, Sood AK, Antoni MH. Host factors and cancer progression: biobehavioral signaling pathways and interventions. J Clin Oncol. 2010;28:4094–9.
Armaiz-Pena GN, Lutgendorf SK, Cole SW, Sood AK. Neuroendocrine modulation of cancer progression. Brain Behav Immun. 2009;23:10–5.
Lutgendorf SK, DeGeest K, Dahmoush L, et al. Social isolation is associated with elevated tumor norepinephrine in ovarian carcinoma patients. Brain Behav Immun. 2011;25:250–5.
Block KI. Cost savings with clinical solutions: the impact of reforming health and health care economics with integrative therapies. Integr Cancer Ther. 2010;9:129–35.
Cangelosi PR, Sorrell JM. Walking for therapy with man’s best friend. J Psychosoc Nurs Ment Health Serv. 2010;48:19–22.
Disclosure
No potential conflicts of interest relevant to this article were reported.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Marcus, D.A. Complementary Medicine in Cancer Care: Adding a Therapy Dog to the Team. Curr Pain Headache Rep 16, 289–291 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11916-012-0264-0
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11916-012-0264-0