States that include therapy dogs to help children get the COVID-19 vaccine

Children Stand up for them COVID-19 vaccine Last Friday in Quebec, I was surprised to find a dog with a tail that could ease the fear of being shot, aspiring to be stroked, as well as the promise of a sticker at the end of the trial.

At least three states are looking for therapy dogs to reassure children and adults who are nervous about getting needles at vaccination clinics for months. Currently, specially trained canines are participating to support the deployment of vaccines for children aged 5 to 11 years.

In Montreal on Friday, a therapy dog ​​was at hand, comforting some of the first children under the age of 12, and taking shots after the vaccine was approved for the younger age group.

Quebec animal therapists are currently considering taking dogs to school as the impetus for immunization in children increases.

Saskatoon is also looking for therapy dogs to help children get rid of puncture wounds from their COVID-19 jabs.

Children and adults who are afraid of needles or worried about protective jabs against COVID-19 look at therapy dogs for months at several vaccination centers in Saskatchewan, Quebec, and British Columbia to reduce anxiety. Is facing.

In British Columbia, the St. John Ambulance took the therapy dog ​​to the Covid-19 Vaccine Clinic in Penticton and Trail.

Françoise Calamand Meyer, an animal therapist in Montreal, said Friday with Indiana, a 7-year-old retriever / Bernese Mountain Dog mix, that some of the first children over the age of 5 were against the virus. I was in the clinic where I was inoculated.

“I found some kids who were afraid, but my big girl, Indiana, was always helpful,” she said. “Some were crying very hard, but they were able to pet the dog, and it was really magic. In a few minutes they touched the dog and stopped crying.”

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She will take Indiana and 3-year-old Cockapoo Petit Jones to schools and clinics to allow children to keep pets while taking pictures. You can also sit on your lap or lie down, especially if you are nervous.

She said her parents had contacted her to see if one of her dogs could take her child to the vaccination center, adding that the Quebec school is also in contact. rice field.

Animal therapists said dogs were very calming and prevented some people who were strongly afraid of needle fainting in the clinic.

Colleen Del, a dog therapy expert at the University of Saskatchewan, takes trained therapy dog ​​Anna Bell to a Saskatoon clinic and observes its effects.

The professor said the white bulldog could sit in a chair next to the person taking the shot and keep a pet. This greatly reduces anxiety.

“The more vigorous a person works before getting a needle, the more likely it is that the needle experience will be painful,” Dell said.

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For this reason, therapy dogs accompany people while they have shots and while they wait in line.

Dell said dog therapists are working with Saskatchewan health authorities as child-focused immunization drives are accelerating in Saskatchewan.

“The experience of getting the needles that are as positive as possible for both children and adults is important because they shape the feelings when they return to the second needle,” she said.

Dell said it helps dogs “turn traumatic situations for some into intolerable situations.” She added that therapy dogs also provide an alternative for those who might otherwise rely on anxiolytics.

“Needle hesitation is not just a COVID vaccination clinic, it’s a widespread and much more widespread problem,” Dell said. “Most of the reactions I know to it are medicalized to take medicine and calm down. Therapy dogs are a new option that brings comfort, support and distraction to the experience.”

Studies show that stroking a dog releases the pleasant hormone oxytocin and lowers the stress hormone cortisol, so “patients feel confidently supported during their most vulnerable times,” Dell said. Says.

Callamand-Mayer said the effects of her dog are serious for some people who are afraid that their needles will be infected with COVID-19.

“The woman said,’I was always faint when I took the shot,'” the therapist said of her recent interaction with the vaccinated. “I put the dog on the bed because she said she would faint, but she didn’t. It was unbelievable. She couldn’t believe it.”