Living with kidney disease and undergoing dialysis is an overwhelming experience. While treatment and a healthy lifestyle are crucial, it is also important to maintain one’s mental well-being. Besides good caregivers, supportive friends, and effective treatment, dialysis patients can also gain amazing therapeutic benefits from animal companionship. Whether it’s a dog, cat, bird, or any other pet, animals offer a unique and heartwarming experience in human life.
In this blog, we will explore why and how a pet can change a person’s life, especially for someone undergoing dialysis treatment.
Emotional Support and Stress Relief:
Pets provide comfort and emotional support through their love and presence. The simple act of petting a dog, cat, or any other animal helps release oxytocin. Oxytocin is the hormone associated with love, trust, bonding, and stress relief. This reduces feelings of loneliness, anxiety, and depression, that one might feel while undergoing dialysis.
Physical Health Benefits:
Physical activity is crucial for dialysis patients to stay healthy and active. Here, pets can be motivating partners in achieving this goal. For instance, physical activity can be ensured through walks and play with pet dogs. This promotes cardiovascular health, lowers blood pressure, and improves overall fitness.
Building Routine and Structure:
Living with a kidney condition involves a strict lifestyle but pets can help to create a sense of routine and responsibility. Be it feeding, grooming, or caring, these activities can be beneficial for dialysis patients as they could provide them with a sense of purpose and help them stay organised.
Social Interaction and Community:
Pets are naturally social and help to create connections between people. For dialysis patients who may experience social isolation, pets can help increase social interaction. Doing activities with your pets or visiting pet-friendly parks and restaurants provides an opportunity to meet new people or other pet owners and reduces feelings of loneliness.
Psychological Resilience:
Pets provide unconditional love, lift spirits, and provide a sense of stability in one’s life. Taking care of a pet can make one feel fulfilled. In the process, one becomes more positive and resilient. This definitely helps dialysis patients cope with their condition better.
While the benefits of dialysis patients having a pet are many, it is important to ensure that the pet’s and the patient’s lifestyle are well-maintained. We all know how crucial it is for patients to keep their dialysis access sites clean and secure. Therefore, when a person on dialysis takes care of a pet, they must be especially vigilant about their hygiene and cleanliness. With a little care and awareness, dialysis patients can safely enjoy the companionship of their pets and enhance their quality of life.