What is pet therapy and does it really work?

Pet therapy deals with professional therapy plans which revolve around the therapeutic use of pets to heal or improve the conditions of a variety of patients. It is also called as Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) or Animal Facilitated Therapy (AFT). Victims of AIDS,cancer,diabetes etc and patients with mental or social disorders can benefit from pet therapy. Any kind of pet can be used for pet therapy as long as the patient has interest in the pet and has facilities like living space for it.The point here is pets used for pet therapy should be well behaved and well suited to the personality and lifestyle of the patient.i.e it should not be a source of stress for the patient. the underlining principle of pet therapy is that pets are a source of joy,relaxation and perhaps even security to people. It is now proven that patients who owned a pet lived longer than patients who did not. even babies who are exposed to pets below the age of five are seen to develop lesser chances of allergies. Pet therapy is in most cases abjectly safe. it is carried out under a professional who will carry out the treatment and supervise the patient. the pet used can be of any type but dogs are very commonly used. it has been seen that simply observing a tank of tropical fish has a calming effect and lowers your blood pressure. pets make people feel needed and cared for. patients benefit in various ways from this therapy and the way differs from person to person. It is an emerging mode of treatment and is safe.

information can be derived from professionals in the field or deltasociety and  dog-play to start with.