How is the health of service dogs impacted when these animals are paired with people diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)? A research team at the University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work (GSSW) hopes to answer this question in a newly funded study.
Led by research professor Kevin Morris, PhD, American Humane Endowed chair in the GSSW and its Institute for Human Animal Connection’s executive director, the study will look at the genetic makeup, physiology, and behaviors of active service dogs over time to better understand how being paired with PTSD-diagnosed veterans might impact animals’ health and well-being.
“There is growing evidence that pairing military veterans with trained psychiatric service dogs can reduce PTSD symptoms,” Dr. Morris says. “What we don’t know is how service dogs are impacted. We hope the findings of our study will result in recommendations that can improve the health and well-being of the dogs engaged in this important work.”
PTSD impacts nearly one-third of military veterans who have experienced combat, and the use of service dogs as a therapeutic option for the disorder has become increasingly common.
The results of this Morris Animal Foundation-funded study will, ideally, guide the ethical use of psychiatric service dogs and provide more tools to track the health and welfare of these animals. The research is part of a larger study that will follow veterans with PTSD before and after receiving a service dog.
“The benefit of service dogs to people with a wide variety of medical conditions is unquestioned,” says the foundation’s chief program officer, Kathy Tietje, PhD, MBA. “Understanding how that service affects canine well-being is an important area of research that is just beginning.”
For more on Morris Animal Foundation and its programs, click here.