A Veterans Therapy Act was ratified into legislation by President Joe Biden after several studies into post-traumatic stress disorder, PTSD, and service dogs.
They’ve implemented a new initiative, to last five years, focused on preparing service animals for more veterans under the Puppies Assisting Wounded Servicemembers (PAWS) program. It renders veterans with the disorder eligible for reference to the service animal referral project.
While operating in the U.S. Defence Forces, Danielle Clark-Gutierrez, 33, was one of the estimated one of every four women veterans who suffered severe military sexual trauma (MST). Lisa, a well-trained dog, helps her cope with her post-traumatic stress disorder daily.
Service members exposed to brain trauma, MST, or war violence are at increased risk of suffering Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Memories of stressful events, anxiety attacks, night terrors, and hypervigilance are signs of post-traumatic stress disorder. Psychiatrists point out that these signs are a typical response to undergoing such violent action. When the symptoms worsen or persist for extended periods, the medical practitioner makes a PTSD diagnosis.
Hunting for Help Led to Lisa
It happened to Clark-Gutierrez almost a decade ago when a fellow airman’s sexual abuse erupted into a physical assault. For the litigator and mom of three to leave her home, she states she always relied on her husband. After determining she had post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the VA prescribed her a series of medications. According to Clark-Gutierrez, she was taking over a dozen capsules a day at one stage.
It’s “I had medicine, and then I had drugs to treat the up to three adverse effects for every prescription,” she explains. “Whenever my doctor prescribed a new medication, I had to be given up to three more for the adverse effects. Eventually, I couldn’t do it any longer, and we began looking into other options.” Clark-Gutierrez says Lisa is now accompanying her wherever she goes.
Research Indicates That Service Dogs Can Help Alleviate Symptoms of PTSD
Maggie O’Haire, a Purdue University Associate Professor at Purdue University, is not shocked by the findings. Although service dogs aren’t a cure for post-traumatic stress disorder, they can help alleviate its symptoms, according to her ongoing research. She focuses on
One of her studies found that veterans paired with these dogs had lower levels of fear and rage and could relax at night than vets who were not. Levels of cortisol in troubled veterans may be reduced by service dogs, according to another study.
According to O’Haire, they found that the stress hormone had methods similar to those of healthy persons who do not have PTSD.
Military veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder who have service dogs are less likely to have suicidal thoughts and more likely to improve their symptoms, according to an earlier this year VA study.
It had previously been necessary that the veteran had some physical mobility problem, including a severed limb, paralysis, or loss of vision, to be eligible for a complimentary service dog from the federal government’s dog referral program. In Clark-Gutierrez’s case, those with PTSD and no physical impairment were responsible for qualifying and obtaining a service dog for themselves.
Training a PTSD Service Dog is Costly
Training a PTSD service dog can cost up to $25,000, according to estimates.
Veterans who have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) will receive the opportunity to train service dogs for other veterans at five VA health facilities across the country, in collaboration with credentialed service dog training institutions. It derives from an existing program at the Palo Alto Veterans Administration in California.
