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Service dogs can alleviate some symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder for veterans, according to a in the medical journal JAMA Network Open.

Over the past decade, has been studying whether trained service dogs can help veterans with – a mental health condition that some people develop .

Building off , we conducted the to assess this complementary intervention.

We recruited 156 post-9/11 veterans from the waitlist of , a nonprofit that matches trained service dogs with veterans who have PTSD. Of that total, 81 received service dogs and 75 remained on the waitlist throughout the three-month study. Most had been deployed and had served in the Army, three-quarters identified as male, and the average age was 38 years old.

All veterans initially completed online surveys about their well-being and were interviewed about their PTSD symptoms by expert clinicians. We followed up three months after they either got a service dog or remained on the waitlist.

Those with service dogs had less severe symptoms and better quality of life. For example, they had milder depression and anxiety and better moods. They also had significantly lower odds of still meeting the .

These results provide the most definitive evidence to date that service dogs are more than just pets. Our findings suggest that partnerships with these trained animals can yield lifesaving benefits for current and former service members.

Why it matters

With daily, their mental health is a pressing concern. Up to 29% of post-9/11 veterans have been . are available, such as exposure therapy and medications. But barriers to care, stigma, and rates from treatment programs ; thus, there is a push to identify additional treatment options.

For example, on the , combined with psychotherapy, for PTSD. However, an the drug’s use as a PTSD treatment due to concerns about safety and the potential for abuse.

Service dogs are trained in specific tasks to help with a disability. For veterans with PTSD, a dog’s role could include interrupting a panic attack or laying across veterans’ laps to calm them. People with disabilities have a in public, whether they’re at a supermarket or a baseball game.

Our findings can inform policymakers, health clinicians and insurance companies on the value of service dogs for veterans with PTSD, potentially increasing funding for groups that train and place service dogs and shortening wait times.

What’s next

We’re conducting a called the Service Dog and Veteran Experiences Study, or SERVES. It’s being done in collaboration with K9s For Warriors and , another nonprofit that trains and provides service dogs to veterans.

In this next study, we will have a randomized group of veterans receive a service dog early or remain on the waitlist as a control. We will follow those veterans for 12 months – rather than just three months – after they receive a service dog or not.

The SERVES study, in turn, will be followed by another randomized clinical trial funded by the Defense Department. It will investigate whether of , an existing gold standard treatment for PTSD.

Sarah Leighton receives funding from the University of Arizona One Health Research Initiative. She worked for Canine Companions from 2010-2021 and continues to volunteer for them. This research was funded by grant R21HD091896 from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Center for Complementary and Integrative Health of the ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Institutes of Health; grants KL2TR001106 and UL1TR001108 from the ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Institutes of Health, ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, and Clinical and Translational Sciences Awards Program; Merrick Pet Care; PetCo Foundation; and Newman’s Own Foundation.

Kerri Rodriguez currently receives funding from The University of Arizona One Health Research Initiative, The Human-Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI), The ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Institute of Justice (NIJ), and Endeavors. Dr. Rodriguez serves on the advisory boards for American Humane, Pet Partners, and Fetch Pet Insurance.