Hum Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 WASHINGTON - Patients with heart troubles and all sorts of other illnesses can benefit from a medicine that doesn't have to be tested by the government. We saw it in use at one D.C. hospital. A visit from a dog that was just what the doctor ordered. The morning rounds at Georgetown University Hospital. The medicine they're passing out is not what you'd expect. Into the room and up on a patient's bed - a five-year-old pug. Her proper name is Twink E. Twinkle. That middle initial "E" stands for "exceptional". Teresa Ross agrees. She's a patient battling pulmonary disease. "Today something told me to get up, take a shower, get dressed early and this was the reason because I was gonna get to see Twinkle. Truly, it made my day," says Ross. While she?s at the hospital, she has been missing her own dog and she tells Twinkle all about it. "My dog's name is Ziggy. He was seven yesterday, so I have some making up to do when I get home," says Ross. Twinkle's guide is Mary Berard. She's a retiree who comes here every Thursday. Berard suffered a bad burn as a child and had to be quarantined. Her father bought her a puppy. Now, she's returning the favor. "That dog brought me to life and brought my mother to life," says Berard. You can't just stroll into a hospital with a dog. Twinkle has had a lot of training. She's certified by a group called National Capitol Therapy Dogs. "They can't bark. They can't show any reaction to noise because you don't know what you are going to be dealing with. Somebody in a wheel chair. Somebody screaming in pain," says Berard. The staff enjoys the pet therapy too. Nurses and doctors will tell you it's good medicine. "I think animals have a way of bringing out the best part of people. It makes them want to go home. It makes them want to get on with their life," says Judi Bailey, clinical manager. source Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocM Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 Yup, that's why so many hospitals & long term rehab facilities here do pet therapy. We seemmto have that connection encoded, especially for dogs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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