Therapy Dogs

The idea of dogs at your doctor's office may seem strange to you, but more and more practitioners are employing the healing energy of dogs in their medical practice, to calm patients and offer reassurance.  Patients report feeling less anxious and stressed when there are dogs in the office.

For some patients, who suffer from something called "white coat hypertension", a syndrome where a patient's blood pressure measures consistently higher in a medical setting, having dogs around can help.  Some studies suggest as many as 20% of patients suffer from this syndrome.  I certainly have at least that many patients who suffer from it.  For such patients, it's normal to re-take blood pressure readings after they've had a chance to sit and relax for a few minutes.  With the dogs in the office, this second reading is often unnecessary.

When patients come into the office, they're usually coming from work, or at the very least, they've had to drive in L.A. traffic.  Being greeted by dogs allows them to shift gears, forgetting about the demands of the road or the paperwork on their desk.  It's an alternative to the traditional waiting room magazine and can even get them to unhook from cell phones and text messaging.

And the benefits are even greater for "dog people" who are interested in our girls' stories, their breed and their history.  These patients share stories of their dogs, current or past.  And sometimes, with the kind of work I do in my clinic, this opens a door that might not otherwise have been opened, to allow healing to begin, or to start a dialogue.

In Our Office

Our office dog right now is Nellie, a Shiloh Shepherd dog.  You can read more about her and the breed here: www.ydraigkennels.com