Therapy dogs may ease children's anxiety in the ER

Ten-minute sessions with therapy dogs in a pediatric emergency department were associated with a modest but significantly greater reduction in children's self-reported anxiety, according to a recent randomised trial.

What the study did

Researchers enrolled 80 children ages 5–17 with suspected moderate-to-high anxiety. Forty received standard child-life therapy — play, audiovisual distraction, and calming techniques. Forty received child-life therapy plus a visit from a certified therapy dog and its handler. Children and parents rated anxiety on a 10-point scale before the visit and 45 minutes after.

What it found

Starting anxiety was similar in both groups (5.5 and 5.4 self-reported). Forty-five minutes later, the control group's scores fell by 1.5 points — the therapy-dog group's by 2.4. Parents perceived even larger decreases: 2.2 versus 3.2. The dog group also needed fewer behavioral medications such as ketamine, lorazepam and midazolam during the stay, though that difference was not statistically significant.

What it means

The findings support animal-assisted therapy as a way to reduce anxiety in pediatric emergency patients — potentially reducing the need for medication. The authors note the dog group knew the visit was coming, which could inflate the effect, and the study did not test therapy dogs without child-life therapy alongside.

By Sean Stangland, Associate Editor. © American Academy of Pediatrics.