Check Out The Hospital Where Pets Are Allowed To Visit Their Owners

The Juravinski Hospital of Ontario, Canada, is one of the few medical centers where patients can receive visits not only from their friends and family, but also from their pets.

Because, after all, they are also part of our lives and our hearts and, as those responsible for this beautiful project explain to us, far from causing problems due to the presence of bacteria, patients recover much earlier than expected and their spirits , as well as the immune system, improve.

Every animal that enters the hospital must first undergo a good bath and a disinfection system. Everything is controlled so that dogs and cats can give that much-needed dose of joy that every patient needs.

Today, in our space, we want to talk about this very interesting initiative. Check out!

Juravinski Hospital and its sensitization with patients

The “Companion Pet Visitation Program” was created recently because of a sad and moving story.

Donna Jenkins was the director of Juravinski Hospital, she had to face the early death of her 25-year-old nephew from lymphoma.

The young man, before he died, asked Jenkins to see his dog,  and made her promise, in addition, that he would do everything possible so that the other patients could also see their pets when they were admitted to the hospital.

He commented to her that few things could bring as much happiness as hugging these dear friends.

Since then, the center has created a service through which family members can get in touch with the health defense and social services so that this visit is attended to, scheduled and finally, happen.

Miracles are seen every day with this new initiative

This project is funded by the charity “Zachary’s Paws for Healing“, named after the director’s nephew, who died of cancer.

• It is through it that family members can get in touch to receive all the information and help necessary to allow these visits, which, as long as they are organized, bring incredible results.
• When patients must face many days of hospitalization, discouragement noticeably affects their recovery.

Something as simple as  having a visit from your dog or cat raises endorphin levels, regulates your breathing and speeds recovery.

• Another aspect that must be considered is the great benefit that pet visits are causing in the area of ​​oncology.

Patients who must face chemotherapy spend these hard moments with more calm and greater harmony holding their pets in their feet, or in their arms.

The pets “prepare” before visiting their owners

One of the reasons why pets are banned from entering hospitals or health centers is because they are a direct source of infections.

Therefore, those responsible for the Juravinski Hospital reached the following conclusions:

• Animals pose the same threats as family members who visit the sick.

• To control this source of bacteria, it is enough to organize a  proper washing and disinfection of the animal’s fur before it enters the hospital.
• Animals must be on a leash to control their movements.
• They can only visit their owners, it is forbidden for a dog or cat to come into contact with another patient who is not in their personal circle.
• The mascots enter the hospital accompanied by the family, but also by  a social worker who controls each situation and movement (patients are usually connected to machines, serums, other routes, etc. and all this poses a risk that needs to be controlled).

The therapeutic help that animals offer us

The emotional support that pets offer us when it comes to helping us through difficult times is, without a doubt, extraordinary.

This support goes beyond the emotional level, because animal therapies, for example, demonstrate the great capacity of mascots when it comes to offering physical and even psychological help.

• Many children with autism are able to control their moments of anxiety or panic attacks thanks to the attention of a trained dog.
• Patients with diabetes or epilepsy are also cared for by assistance dogs capable of preventing sugar spikes or drops, or taking care that their owners are not harmed during epileptic seizures.

An example of coexistence, nobility and affection that they show us once again, the great support and valuable gift that are our mascots.