The Fight for Service Dogs for Veterans With PTSD

[xchrom]

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/09/the-fight-for-service-dogs-for-veterans-with-ptsd/262863/



When it comes to treating veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, no intervention regularly receives as glowing reviews as service dogs. The use of service dogs to treat PTSD is new, though, and many of the findings at this point are anecdotal. Many veterans had eagerly hoped a pioneering study conducted by the Department of Veterans Affairs would buttress their personal experiences with science that could support implementing widespread therapeutic use.

By pairing veterans with a service dog and tracking their condition over three years, the study could demonstrate to service dog providers around the country how to effectively train for PTSD patients, and might provide convincing evidence for the VA system to create a benefit for the treatment.

Last week, however, the agency confirmed that it had suspended the study at the James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital in Tampa, FL, for the second time this year after alleging that a vendor violated its contract and endangered the health of its dogs. The latest setback left about 100 veterans on the study's waiting list without any hope that they'd receive a dog in the near future. It also raised the thorny question of how to conduct research in a field that is new, but where the need is urgent.


Traditionally used for blind, deaf, or physically disabled patients, service dogs have only recently been trained to perform tasks that can improve PTSD symptoms, like wake a veteran from a nightmare or create a buffer in large crowds or public places.

[xchrom]

1. ...

http://dogblessyou.explore.org/post/32210250069/patriot-almost-didnt-get-paired-with-a-veteran#notes



Patriot almost didn’t get paired with a veteran due to his size (he’s a bit of a runt), but when a warrior named Kevin arrived at K9s For Warriors’ facilities in Florida, Patriot was out playing with one of their volunteers and ran over to Kevin. He jumped in his lap, licked his face, and then sat very quietly. Kevin asked, “Can this one be mine?” K9s For Warriors agreed to try the match for a couple of days, keeping in mind that Patriot’s smaller size might not be adequate for Kevin’s needs. That night, Kevin had a terrible nightmare, and Patriot woke him up by nuzzling his face and laid on his chest until Kevin felt safe. The two are now inseparable.

[Bigmack]

2. GREAT book dealing with this

Until Tuesday - the story of a veteran and HIS service dog. VERY VERY good. I can't imagine that ANYONE, after reading this book, would question the very real value of this pairing of people and dogs. WONDERFUL book.