Therapy Dog Visits for Patients Hospitalized With Traumatic Injuries

Animal assisted therapy (AAT) with dogs has been shown to be beneficial for a wide range of patients with both acute and chronic illnesses, including spinal cord injuries, heart failure, myocardial infarctions, strokes, cancer, post-traumatic stress disorder, and depression. Studies have also demonstrated that even in healthy adults, the presence of dogs is associated with physiologic changes such as increased pain threshold, decreased blood pressure, and decreased heart rate. However, few studies have investigated the role of AAT in the post-operative course in adults. This study will investigate the impact of therapy dog visits on pain and anxiety scores for trauma patients at Boston Medical Center (BMC).

NCT Number	NCT06812247
Lead Sponsor	Boston Medical Center Collaborators: Boston Medical Center Healing Pups Program
Conditions	Trauma Injury, Depression, Anxiety, Anger, Pain
Enrollment	80 participants
Start Date	2025-06-04
Primary Completion	2026-12 (estimated)
Study Completion	2026-12 (estimated)
Updated on ClinicalTrials.gov	2026-06-16