Caring Together: How Animal Assisted Therapy Improves the Health of People and Animals - Abstract
Animal-assisted therapy is a practical example of the One Health approach,
integrating human, animal, and environmental health. Our research group has studied
the effects of dog-assisted therapy (DAT) on institutionalized elderly people with
dementia, where significant improvements were observed in emotional, social, and
behavioral well-being, a reduction in agitation and problematic behaviors, and less
functional and cognitive decline compared to the control group. More recently, with
horses and children with ASD, equine-assisted sessions favored communication, social
interaction, adaptive behavior, and daily life skills. The One Health perspective
is reflected in the design of the programs: animals receive specialized training,
supervision, and care, while intervention environments are adapted to ensure safety
and comfort for both humans and animals. This allows for shared well-being and
promotes environmental quality. Existing evidence suggests these interventions are
safe and effective, but emphasizes the need for additional multicenter studies, long
term follow-up, and objective multidimensional measures to consolidate them as an
integrated intervention model that generates shared benefits. All of this encourages us
to continue this line of research, expanding to new sociosanitary contexts, animals, and
groups to improve everyone’s quality of life.