New Research to Study Therapy Dog Visits for Elderly ICU Patients

The North American Veterinary Community (NAVC) and the Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI), who jointly founded the Human-Animal Bond Certification program last year, announced today that Zoetis, a leading animal health company, has become the first Human-Animal Bond Certified Company. “With its long-term commitment to funding human-animal bond research, education, professional development and programming, Zoetis is uniquely deserving of this meaningful recognition,” said Steven Feldman, HABRI Executive Director. “Being a Human-Animal Bond Certified Company sends a clear message that Zoetis is a leader in strengthening the human-animal bond for the veterinary community and the public.” “For years, Zoetis has been a leading advocate of the bond between humans and animals, and we are honored to have earned this important certification,” said J. Michael McFarland, DVM, DABVP, Executive Director, Zoetis Petcare Marketing and Chair of the HABRI Board of Trustees. “Veterinarians play a key role in strengthening the relationship between animals and people, and Zoetis is committed to helping them, their clients, and the animals they care for experience the benefits of the human-animal bond.” As part of the certification process, more than two dozen Zoetis employees successfully completed the certification program, receiving training on the science behind the human-animal bond and developing a deep understanding of how this science supports the practice of veterinary medicine. Zoetis is committed to ongoing training for additional employees. The leadership role of Zoetis is evidenced by its commitment to education, and the company was an early supporter of the Human-Animal Bond Certification program. After only one year, more than 500 professionals have signed up for this certification, which offers 22 hours of RACE-approved continuing education credit. Zoetis has also developed educational resources surrounding the bond for its own employees, for the...

The Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI) announced today it has awarded a grant to GITAM (Deemed) University for a new study which will investigate the impact of pet ownership and human-animal interaction (HAI) on overall social functioning including social attention in children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). This study aims to fill a critical gap in the current literature by uncovering the potential benefits of HAI on core deficit areas in ADHD. “This project brings together an international team of experts to undertake a comprehensive examination of social attention and emotion processing in neurotypical children and children living with ADHD,” said Dr. Georgitta Valiyamattam, GITAM University, the study’s Principal Investigator. “We hope to answer a key question – do foundational social skills in ADHD have the potential to be impacted by animal-assisted interventions? This knowledge will provide the necessary groundwork for future research and practice, which we hope will improve treatment and quality of life for children living with ADHD.” Along with Dr. Valiyamattam, the team comprises Dr. Harish Katti, Dr. Jessica Taubert, Dr. Vinay Chaganti and Dr. Virender Sachdeva. A substantial body of research describes social attention and emotional recognition deficits to human faces in ADHD. This project will study the impact of pet ownership on children with ADHD to determine whether HAI may enhance social attention and emotional recognition and modulate overall social functioning. State-of-the-art eye tracking technology and rigorous statistical approaches will be deployed to compare attention towards human and nonhuman faces. Researchers will also investigate the recognition of facial expressions. The research team anticipates that children with ADHD will show greater attention and emotion recognition capabilities for animal faces as compared to human faces. The focus on uncovering the visual mechanisms regarding HAI may also...

The Human Animal Bond Research Initiative (HABRI) Foundation, today released the results of a first-of-its-kind survey detailing the views of family physician on the benefits of pets to human health. “Doctors and their patients really understand the human health benefits of pets, and they are putting that understanding into practice” said HABRI Executive Director Steven Feldman. “The Human Animal Bond Research Initiative funds research on the evidence-based health benefits on humananimal interaction, and this survey demonstrates that we are on the right track.” HABRI partnered with Cohen Research Group to conduct an online panel survey of 1,000 family doctors and general practitioners. This is the largest survey of its kind to explore doctors’ knowledge, attitudes and behavior regarding the human health benefits of pets. The 28-question survey was conducted in late August 2014 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1%. The physicians in the survey had a median of 18 years of practice experience. Among the survey’s key findings: Most doctors have successfully worked with animals in medicine. 69% have worked with them in a hospital, medical center, or medical practice to assist patient therapy or treatment. They report interactions with animals improve patients’ physical condition (88%), mental health condition (97%), mood or outlook (98%), and relationships with staff (76%). Doctors overwhelmingly believe there are health benefits to owning pets. 97% reported that they believe there were health benefits that resulted from owning a pet. The majority of doctors have recommended a pet to a patient. 60% of doctors interviewed have recommended getting a pet to a patient. 43% recommended the pet to improve overall health and 17% made the recommendation for a specific condition. Most doctors have seen their patients’ health improve as a result of pet ownership. 75% of physicians said they saw one or more of their patients overall health...