Pet therapy: initiating a program

This paper provides the outline of a Pet Therapy program on the Long Term unit at the Providence Hospital, Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, which was initiated as a pilot program and is now part of regular occupational therapy programming. This paper covers the occupational therapy objectives, setting, procedure and criteria for patient involvement in pet therapy, and detail is given to aid other departments thinking of initiating their own program. The literature review briefly looks at the occupational therapy needs of long term care patients. It also gives an overview of the variety of ways in which pet therapy can be of benefit, especially to the aged.