Patient-Owned Pets a Boon to Children at UCSF Children's Hospital

Kyle Jackson Wetle's heart-warming reunion with stolen puppy Chemo on Wednesday highlights yet another UCSF Children's Hospital effort to ensure that children receive the care and nurturing they need, even if it's from the family pooch. Chemo is a regular visitor to the Children's Hospital, as are many other children's beloved pets. With an official policy, the hospital allows dogs and cats visitation rights with their children. "The value of children having their pets at the bedside is dramatic," said Michael Towne, director of UCSF Children's Hospital's Child Life Department. "There is a lot of emotional content that's superimposed on the child's pet," Towne said. "A lot of children will talk about their pet all of the time, and it's very difficult for them to be separated." In addition, pets don't question why a child undergoing chemotherapy may have lost his hair or have incisions because of a surgery. "Dogs and cats provide unconditional love," he said. Policy There are, of course, precautions that must be followed to limit any infection risk and ensure the safety of other patients and staff, Towne said. First and foremost, the visits must be approved by the child's physician and nurse practice manager. The policy states that visits must be limited to two hours per day. In addition, all pets that visit the hospital must be fully immunized and have veterinarian's statement that the animal is free of disease. Allowable pets are limited to dogs or cats that must be brought to the child's room in a carrier or on a leash. The rules stipulate that the animal must have "responded to the call of nature" prior to the visit. The pet must go directly to the child's room to visit with no stops on the way and no visits with other children are allowed. A child's wound or incision, if any, must be covered during the pet's visit. Pets Provide Comfort, Health Benefits Towne said he doesn't know of other children's hospitals that permit animal visits, though there may be others. Pets are exceedingly comforting, Towne said because, when a child is in the hospital, the procedure's they must undergo can make them feel as though their little bodies are under siege. "There are all sorts of studies that show that contact with animals is very physically satisfying and can even lower blood pressure and have other health benefits," Towne said. "It's good for the system." In addition to patient-owned pets, UCSF Children's Hospital has partnered with the San Francisco Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) to offer children animal therapy visits. SPCA volunteers bring their specially trained dogs to the hospital and even to the out-patient Pediatric Treatment Center to visit children and brighten their day. The hospital is so convinced of the value of having dogs interact with children, Towne said, that it is in the process of recruiting its first canine "employee," a dog that would reside with one of the nurse managers and come to the hospital on a regular basis to visit children. He said the dog's "work" would combine bedside visits with children who because of their conditions cannot leave their rooms, combined with visits with children in the playroom or even the classroom. "We've heard of reading programs, where children are more comfortable reading to a dog who listens to them reading the story, than to an adult who helps them pronounce a word. It could be a really wonderful way to promote literacy in children," Towne said. Related Links: UCSF Children's Hospital Leukemia Patient Reunited with Stolen Puppy
UCSF Today, September 7, 2006 Puppy Stolen from UCSF Children's Hospital Leukemia Patient Returned
UCSF Today, September 6, 2006 SPCA 'Heart Specialists' Promote Healing at UCSF Children's Hospital
UCSF Today, May 25, 2006