Animal therapy as a promising direction of human rehabilitation treatment

Abstract

Animals therapy is one of the types of therapy, which includes the use of animals as a means of treatment. The purpose of such therapy is to improve the patient's social, emotional, or cognitive functions. It is distinguished directed animal therapy (the use of specially trained animals for developed therapeutic programs) and non-directional (interaction with animals at home). Animal therapy methods, in contrast to other rehab techniques, allow not only to reduce muscle tone, increase the volume of passive movements, acquire new active motor skills, and, in addition to kinesiological rehabilitation effects, is intended to perform the following functions: psycho-physiological function; psychotherapeutic function; rehabilitation function; function of satisfaction of the need for competence; self-realization function; communication function. Hypotherapy is one of the most effective methods of animal therapy. The restorative effect of horse riding for patients is based on the use of the function of motion, which has for man not only biological, but also social significance. Hippotherapy combines kinesitherapy, physiotherapy, cognitive action on the emotions and the psyche of the patient, contributes to the destruction of pathological efferent impulses. Dolphin therapy for the rehabilitation of children with post-traumatic stress syndrome, depression, emotional disorders, diseases of the locomotorium, etc., is actively developing in many countries, especially in the coastal countries, including Ukraine, since the 70s of the last century. The positive effect of felinotherapy in children with enuresis, logoneurosis, neurasthenia was established. Felinotherapy helps to lower blood pressure, normalizes the work of the heart, relieves articular and headaches. Cats accelerate recovery after injuries, cure internal inflammatory diseases. Canisterapy (treatment by dogs) is indicated for gout, rheumatism, liver and bladder disorders. In canisterapy, the breeds of companion dogs are most often used: labradors, collie, pugs etc. In addition to the described methods, there are still many methods of animal therapies. These are human contacts with reptiles, a dream on bees of honey bees, and others.