Pies: Therapy dogs, who bring healing to individuals and families by visiting hospitals schools or retirement homes, differ fr

Evidence: 62 • authority: 72

A therapy dog is a dog that is trained to provide affection, comfort and support to people, often in settings such as hospitals, retirement homes, nursing homes, schools, libraries, hospices, or disaster areas. In contrast to assistance dogs, which are trained to assist specific patients with their day-to-day physical needs, therapy dogs are trained to interact with all kinds of people, not just their handlers.

Evidence: 49 • authority: 88

Public Perceptions of Service Dogs, Emotional Support Dogs, and Therapy Dogs. As service dogs, emotional support dogs, and therapy dogs have become more prevalent in the USA, so too has the controversy surrounding their legitimacy. Yet, there is a lack of objective data regarding the public’s understanding of the role played by each of these types of animals, as well as their perceptions regarding the legitimacy of their integration. An anonymous, online survey was distributed to examine the perceptions of US adults who do not own any type of assistance animal. A total of 505 individuals responded to the online survey, yielding 284 usable responses. Results suggest widespread misconceptions…

Evidence: 43 • authority: 72

Service animals are working animals that have been trained to perform tasks that assist disabled people. Service animals may also be referred to as assistance animals or helper animals depending on the country and the animal's function. Dogs are the most common service animals, having assisted people since around 1927. Various definitions exist for a service animal. Various laws and policies may define service animal more expansively, but they often do not include or specially accommodate emotional support animals, comfort animals, or therapy dogs. Regulations regarding service animals vary by region. For example, in Japan, regulations outline standards of training and certification for ser…

Evidence: 37 • authority: 92

Survival of dogs with glomerular disease in Europe: insights from the European Veterinary Renal Pathology Service.. Background Although glomerular disorders contribute to chronic kidney disease in dogs, few studies have evaluated the usefulness of renal biopsy for predicting outcome. Hypothesis/objectives Investigate morphologic diagnoses, clinicopathological findings, comorbidities, treatment, and their associations with survival in dogs after renal biopsy. Animals One hundred ten client-owned dogs with glomerular disease. Methods Retrospective cohort study of medical records from the European Veterinary Renal Pathology Service (2018-2023). Data were obtained before referral for renal biop…

Evidence: 37 • authority: 92

Clinical Urgency of After-Hours Presentations of Dogs and Cats to a Private Small-Animal Practice in Germany: A Retrospective Study of 4579 Visits.. This descriptive study aimed to assess the urgency of after-hours emergency visits in a small-animal practice using a structured triage system, and to characterize the associated presenting conditions and treatments. Medical records of 3189 dog and 1390 cat visits presented between 1 January and 31 December 2021 to an advanced small-animal practice were retrospectively reviewed. Retrieved data included temporal characteristics of presentation, species, signalment, clinical diagnosis, diagnostics, and treatments. Visits were retrospectively cate…

Evidence: 37 • authority: 72

The Labrador Retriever, also known simply as the Labrador or Lab, is a British breed of retriever gun dog. It was developed in the United Kingdom from St. John's water dogs imported from the Colony of Newfoundland, and was named after the Labrador region in that colony. It is among the most commonly kept dogs in several countries, particularly in the Western world. Labradors are often friendly, energetic and playful. It was bred as a sporting and hunting dog, but is widely kept as a companion dog. Though content as a companion, these dogs are intelligent and require both physical and mental stimulation. It may also be trained as a guide or assistance dog, or for rescue or therapy work. In t…

Evidence: — • authority: 38