Disgusting Dogs going into ICUs at a hospital near you

[SummerFeverVenice]

Is anyone else horrified at the thought of “therapy” dogs going on hospitals’ wards and even into ICUs? I read this article and was throughly disgusted at the idea of animals and all their associated filth being allowed into hospitals.

Outpatient, psychiatric wards I have no problem with. But regular wards and the ICU?! Where infection control and hygiene must be upheld…surely this is a bad idea. In the article one of the volunteers even let her dog lick a patient’s face! Plus the top photo shows a dog that has climbed into bed with a patient.

I feel like dog worship has gone a step too far.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cz7w4lzyg2lo

My gran had a Shetland pony come to her nursing home and it was dressed up in a unicorn outfit. She was convinced a unicorn had come to see them all 😁

@Screamingabdabz - unless a dog has a condition that causes incontinence, they do NOT walk around with a open arsehole. They have a sphincter. If they didn’t, they would dribble poo everywhere, which they do not do.

A dog is not walking round with an open arsehole any more than you are.

Why do people talk such nonsense?

My neighbour had a therapy dog that she took to old peoples homes where they couldn't have a pet of their own. He was gorgeous boy and his visits really perked them up.

@Tusue was it thunder and his pals? Amazing dogs. So so good for morale of everyone in the hospital 🥰

OP the staff will not let the dog near you. Neither will the dogs trainer. They interact with the patients who want to see them. You’ll be fine. Also…. They’re not allowed to lick. They’re trained not to.
And when they go into icu they’re mainly there for the relatives and staff. They’re really not allowed to chew on the ventilators or wipe poo on the sheets.
for those patients who like dogs, to see a furry friend can make the world of difference. I KNOW if I was seriously unwell a visit would out a smile on my face. For those that disagree that’s fine. The dogs won’t come to you. They’re not mandatory.

Ah so its a drip feed...... I see from further comments op that youve got/had cancer and are allergic to pets - hence particular reasons to object to them visiting the hospital. But........surely thats a risk when not in hospital also?

It did make me smile a bit when I read it. Those brazen dogs, walking around with their open arseholes on show - practically flaunting them. Now if the poster had said cats, well that's different because cats are openly arseholes.

Bit of a Joysucker OP

Don’t get me started about central lines and their issues. My son had his first hickman line for 4 months with no issues but since he has had chemo (he has it for TPN too) he has had 2 hickman line infections, 2 picc line infections including line sepsis, 1 blocked cannula and they’ve just managed to unblock his picc line yesterday.

We’re hoping to wean him from the TPN soon and it can’t come quickly enough so we can get rid of his picc line!

Therapy dogs are a brilliant idea. Nothing lights up a room like a dog. Actually, if I was in hospital, I’d much, much rather a puppy came to visit me than 90% my neighbours and work colleagues. Plenty of humans are more disgusting than any dog, both morally and physically.

You absolutely should bother . It's very valuable . Just because some people hate dog s ( which I always think is a bit weird given that dogs don't commit crimes ) the majority of us are very happy at the joy they bring and it's very arrogant to suggest they would bring filth in . People who yarn on about diseases being carried from animals don't bother to read the facts about zoonotic disease and fail to get that the real danger is other humans passing it on . But you can't help some of these joyless atmosphere hoovers . Therapy animals are very important for people and long may it continue

If you don't like dogs or are allergic you can simply say "no thanks" and it will walk on by - or you could even ask specifically for it to give you a wide berth if you prefer. They don't bounce from bed to bed and it's not mandatory. It's a bit like a vicar - not for everyone but some people really like them visiting.

Therapy dogs are not typically random dogs. My dd had a great experience with a therapy dog in her school. While I had some trepidation about the situation at first, it was amazing and she really benefitted from his presence in the school and her individual sessions with the dog and counselor.

i can easily see advantages in a hospital setting. They just need to be aware of allergies and get patient consent.

I had help from PAT (Pets as therapy) when I was in hospital. It was hugely helpful to me. You obviously get a choice, the dogs are well behaved & trained and it doesn't affect other patients as it's in a separate room. ICU is really disorientating & PAT was life saving to me.

You can catch some horrible things in hospitals anyway MRSA, C-diff etc & there's procedures in place to minimize the risk of cross contamination from the dog. Shock horror I was also taken outside to a garden where there was bacteria, soil, plants & God knows what else!

Spending weeks in ICU is horrific OP - is this something you've experienced and had to cope with or do you just hate dogs?

@Kirbert2 Sending your son lots of love and best wishes, you too. I was so thankful my line was removed at my last infusion, they relief, not to mention not having to wear limbo on my arm and properly submerging my arm for the first time in six month was indescribable. I found getting it flushed every week one of the worst parts.

Therapy dogs,as name suggests, are subject to cleansing schedule that inc hibiscrub. They’re not just a random dug. They’re trained,and have a specialist trainer. They have a specific temperament and are trained to be around patients in multiple settings eg ICU, eating disorder, older adult

I've watched enough Blue Peter as a child to know what happens next.

A nice soft doggy to say hello to .. I don't have a problem with but my seriously allergic husband wouldn't enjoy it at all. His allergies were triggered recently by a visitor who'd spent a couple of hours near a dog.

I'm sure it's all risk assessed, and how vulnerable a patient is to infection is considered.

non human animals aren't intrinsically disgusting or dirty.

in fact, human visitors carry more that can be passed to another human animal than a dog can.

I was just thinking that i hadn’t seen a dog bashing thread for a while 🙄

I also have never caught anything from my dogs, humans on the other hand…

My son hates dressing changes the most. He’ll be so happy when that doesn’t have to happen every week.

Thanks. He’s in remission which is the most important thing but it caused a lot of issues with his bowels which is why we’ve had such a long hospital stay. Hopefully towards the end of it now.

My child had cancer. The therapy dogs aren’t allowed on the oncology units. After their treatment ended they were on another ward for another procedure and were allowed to meet the therapy dog. After years of chemo this made their day. Their pet dog has been a huge support through their cancer journey and they couldn’t have done without it.

Considering it is the professionals making the decisions regarding risk, and it is your right to refuse a visit from any dog, I will surmise that you are indeed not.

I think it’s you who should be ashamed of an over the top post about the attitudes of those who do like dogs, and it’s abundantly clear that you don’t. The OP doesn’t like dogs. Fair enough. Lots of people do. Therapy dogs do a lot of good - no dog worship, just an appreciation of the happiness they can bring. Iif anything this is a dog bashing thread, rather than signing their praises.

Oh and educate yourself before posting nonsense. Dogs don’t walk round with open arseholes. They have a sphincter, just like humans and most are house trained.

My sister who is both a doctor and now a public health consultant has a dog who is a trained therapy dog. No one takes infection control more seriously than her, not least because it's literally her job to deal with reportable disease outbreaks.

But her dog doesn't give people MRSA, he's a soppy little sod who likes lying on people's knees being fussed and told what a good boy he is and if that makes having chemo a bit less horrible for some dog lovers having chemo it seems like a good use of his time.

If I was stuck in hospital I would love a visit from a therapy dog. It's not dog worship it's proven to lift the mood of patients.

The world is not one-sized fits all, nor should it be. Hospitals are full of patients with differing issues who do not all need or want the same things. OP’s needs and preferences do not need to set policy for every patient in the hospital.

Therapy dogs have been shown to have beneficial effects for patients both psychologically and physically. Yes, there are obvious potential pitfalls and not all patients appreciate them, so (this may shock some people here) protocols are put in place to prevent issues and minimize downsides. Trained dogs are used, they follow strict grooming and infection-control standards, and they only visit patients who opt in and whose care team have said can have visits. Realistically this is no different to how human visitors are handled - visitors pose a massive infection risk, they can bother other patients, they can disrupt schedules, and they can be too much excitement for a given patient to handle, but they are also vitally important for overall patient welfare so hospitals put protocols in place to minimize the downsides.

OP, if you’re concerned about your allergies or infections then ask your hospital about how they will make sure you are not exposed. That will be far more beneficial to you than just whole-sale slagging off a program many people love and benefit from.