Regular dog visits

[RightSide]

At my center last week.
they started a new service:

Pet therapy.
That is, a woman brought in a companion dog (I think it was a lab mix) and went around to the various dialysis stations, introducing the dog to us patients.

It was fun to be able to pet a dog during dialysis, I have to say.
But the dog seemed unusually nervous for a companion dog.  I think all the noises and beeps from the machines were disturbing her.  She kept looking towards the machines and away from the patients.

Her handler told me that the dog is diabetic and takes insulin regularly.  I told her handler that if the dog develops kidney failure, more and more large animal hospitals have dialysis machines for animals nowadays.  She didn't know that!

[Hanify]

Hmmmm, dialysis for animals.  Dunno what I think about that one.  Hard to explain to a dog surely??

[Jean]

I am an animal lover too, but dialysis for a dog, I dont know. How can they tell you when it hurts, and how can they tell you not to do it to them. I dont think it iis a good idea.

[Des]

I think any pets should not be in a "clean" hygienic place..... just now they "mark" the machine or something.... I have always been a bit anti-bacteria....  but it seems a nice idea though.

As for dogs on dialysis... good if their owners pick up the bill - not so good if tax payers have to pay. 

[Rerun]

I think any pets should not be in a "clean" hygienic place..... just now they "mark" the machine or something.... I have always been a bit anti-bacteria....  but it seems a nice idea though.

As for dogs on dialysis... good if their owners pick up the bill - not so good if tax payers have to pay.

Agree~

[RightSide]

If you're curious about dialysis for pets,
here's an article on it.  It shows a dog getting dialyzed, and a cat with the hemo catheter in the scruff of its neck.

http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=1749&S=0&EVetID=3002506

I can't imagine how much this must cost the owners of these pets.

[billybags]

I don't think I agree with dogs going into a unit, but I have heard of dogs going into senior citizens long stay wards, and yes they love it.

[RichardMEL]

Well you'll all hate me then because I took my cat in Christmas 2007. The staff asked me to bring her in when I finished my shift. She had previously been in the hospital and visited my mum when she was dying (again with medical approval - though my mum was dying so it didn't much matter at that point).

I was careful thinking about her being close to the machines or needles, so what I did is held her, took her to the patients and held her so they could pat her with their hands. Some of them - specially the older ones - really seemed to like seeing her little face and pat her soft fur. My cat is very docile and didn't squirm very much or get freaked out by the beeps or noises (she was also very good with my mum sitting on her bed with her without moving for 30 mins so mum could pat her). The staff were also taken with her. Indeed just the other week it was mentioned I should bring her back in this year.

She never went near any lines or anything like that.

[Brianna!]

At children's hospital in Wisconsin we had a therapy dog come every monday. We got to pet her and give her treats. She was usually distracted though, because right after she visited us at dialysis, she went to the information desk and the guy there gave her treats. haha. She would give us kisses and everything. She only stayed for like 10 minutes though. And after she left, the nurses put hand sanitizer on our hands. The owner made sure they didn't get near the machines or lines or anything. It made the two year old at dialysis so happy. It was really nice.

[jbeany]

Had some visit my center, too.  The Humane society occasionallly brings in kittens that need socializing, too.

Doesn't do me any good to have the dogs visit - I'm allergic!

[Stacy Without An E]

I'd prefer it if the planet were run by dogs rather than humans, but I agree with Des...no pets should ever be in an attempted sterile environment like Dialysis.

Our clinic manager...CLINIC MANAGER brought her dog to the clinic floor. 

Fleas, ticks, lice, bodily function releases...Dialysis is no place for a dog.

Come to think of it, a number of patients also have these maladies.  Maybe the dog can stay.

[nursewratchet]

I don't think a dog should EVER be in a dialysis clinic.  EVER.  Unless you can poll the total number of patients and screen for allergies, assure the dog has JUST had a good bath, and assure that he has NO pests of any kind, oh and he must be..... I could go on and on.  BAD idea... And I am a dog person, and I  have a therapy dog.  A HUGE yellow Lab, who is the best behaved dog in the world.  I would never take him into the clinic. 

[RichardMEL]

I don't think a dog should EVER be in a dialysis clinic.  EVER.  Unless you can poll the total number of patients and screen for allergies, assure the dog has JUST had a good bath, and assure that he has NO pests of any kind, oh and he must be..... I could go on and on.  BAD idea... And I am a dog person, and I  have a therapy dog.  A HUGE yellow Lab, who is the best behaved dog in the world.  I would never take him into the clinic.

You didn't mention cats? Am I on your banned list too?

[nursewratchet]

Never thought about cats.  Therapy cats i haven't heard of.  You make me think.  I hate when that happens...

[thegrammalady]

and she's off and running. y'all can be mad at later.

1. a dialysis center is not a sterile environment. not by any stretch of the imagination.

2. therapy animals visit hospitals all the time.

3. what are you going to do if a dialysis patient has a seeing eye dog? you can't by law not admit the dog!

i could go on but i'd like to have most of you thinking i'm a nice lady. ha!

just my 

[Des]

Oh my, I better retract some of my steps   You see, hmm, ok dogs, cats and all other pets will be SO welcome in all the "other" dialysis centres except the one I am in. 

[RichardMEL]

I've got to tell you that I was actually quite surprised and concerned myself when the NURSES asked me to bring Celeste to the clinic (ok it was Christmas, but still). I voiced my concerns about her fur/dander or stuff like that and they said look it really wasn't much of an issue as long as she was kept away from people hooked up with catheters. Most of our lot are fistula patients and that was considered OK. It is true the units are not THAt sterile. Yes, they wipe everything down appropriately, use gloves, and all that stuff but really it's not that much. Plus people come in, bring kids, food, bags etc... I don't know that a cat or dog would make that much difference. I can tell you that some of the older folks in my unit when I brought Celeste over were *delighted* to see her, have a little pat and ask me about her etc. (and the nurses loved her too). I think in that way she was definitely 'working" as a therapy cat (though she didn't know it - she quite enjoyed the adventure to come somewhere new ).

[thegrammalady]

you know i love you one and all. and you are all entitled to your own opinions on the subject, i just couldn't resist playing devils advocate.

[*kana*]

I work in a hospital and we have a therapy cat, named Oliver, that visits with the patients.   

I think a dog or cat can be much cleaner then some dialysis patients I've been around. 

[RichardMEL]

I work in a hospital and we have a therapy cat, named Oliver, that visits with the patients.   

I think a dog or cat can be much cleaner then some dialysis patients I've been around.

that's so cute. I'd love to see Oliver in action!

And yes, my kitty is always cleaning herself.. you'd think the Queen was about to arrive the way she goes for it!

[MissyKew]

Most animals that are used as therapy pets are well groomed and very clean.  It is expected of them.  Therapy animals are welcome in hopitals, nursing homes, rehabs, all sorts of medical facilities.  Dialysis centers, from what I have seen, are from sterile.  In fact, I have NEVER seen a cleaning person in my dialysis center.  I have been told by the techs that the floor isn't clean.

As to the germophobes of the world, they are the reason we have so many kids who now have allergies and sickness because since the cleaning product industry picked up on germophobia people have been disinfecting the hell out of the world.  They kill off the good germs we need as well as the bad germs.  It creates kids and people who have very poor immune system because they are not allowed to encounter the germs they need to encounter to build their immune system.  There is a saying, you gotta eat a peck of dirt before you die.  We are lucky we haven't had a huge pandemic much worse than H1N1.  It is gonna happen one of these days.

So, you guessed, I am all for therapy pets visiting dialysis units.  As boring as what dialysis is, having a dog visit can only add interest to the ordeal.

[Jean]

Wouldnt it be nice if we could all bring our own pets in? I would love to have little baby Sara on my lap during dialysis. ( well, I think so)

[Chris]

and she's off and running. y'all can be mad at later.



3. what are you going to do if a dialysis patient has a seeing eye dog? you can't by law not admit the dog!

I just started asking around about that to various places I go for treatment and therapies. Since these dogs are trained, the places I have gone to do not have a problem. When it comes to therapy, they will work around to get me in so if a person is allergic, we won't be in at the same timeframe of coming in or going out. With a seeing eye dog it is expected that the animal be taken care of and be clean. If I go back on dialysis, this will be a concern of mine because I will not have anyone with me except me, myself, and I

[nursewratchet]

"therapy dogs" are trained to sit,not bark, obey commands, etc... I have seen some REALLY loud and spastic dogs in my day that jump, run around and knock into things and people...