Emotional support animals in practice – benefit or bother?
Featured Products Promotional FeaturesPosted by: Dental Design 12th May 2022
In recent years, support animals have grown in popularity. In fact, since the Emotional Support Animals UK Registry was created in 2017, there have been over 9,000 registrations in the UK.[i] While it’s easy to assume that the majority of these animals would be highly trained dogs, it turns out that nearly any pet can be registered as an emotional support animal (ESA) – meaning that someone could just as easily have a squirrel, micropig or even something like a llama if that’s what they believe will bring them the most comfort.[ii]
In fact, there are multiple stories of people choosing very unusual animals to fulfil the role, often leading to complications when these creatures are required to provide emotional support in public places such as aeroplanes – shockingly, an emotional support peacock is difficult to accommodate on the average Boeing 747.[iii]
Regardless of the species, however, they do need to be registered with an organisation such as ESA UK in order to be legally considered as an emotional support animal. Plus, to be eligible to have an ESA in the first place, individuals must have proof that they have a mental health condition that is improved by having an animal nearby to provide comfort.
But how can this impact dental practices?
I want to address this subject from two different standpoints – first, in regards to patients bringing in their own ESAs, and secondly, exploring the idea of dental practices having their own animal available for patients during treatment.
To begin with, it’s safe to say that the possibility of bringing emotional support animals into a dental practice is not a black and white issue. Research has proven that animals in these roles have had significantly beneficial effects on people’s emotional states, especially in situations which cause a lot of pressure or stress such as a visiting the dentist.[iv] In light of this, it makes sense that welcoming these animals into practice would be a positive move, especially if it helps patients form a better relationship with dentistry moving forward.
On the other hand, we have to discuss the complications that bringing animals into practice may present. There are hygiene and infection control issues at play, and as these animals aren’t restricted to certain breeds or species, it’s impossible to accommodate all ESAs equally – after all, imagine someone turning up with an emotional support horse! What about patient allergies and phobias? There has to be a limit to which animals can be allowed in practice, and this is something that, currently, would have to be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
Taking a different standpoint, I’m not against the idea of dental practices having their own emotional support animal available for patients. There have been quite a few successful documented cases where these animals have been found to offer comfort and help distract the patient, even leading to pain reduction. What makes this option more appealing is that as a team, you’d be able to ensure that the work environment is suitable for the animal in question, as well as be prepared for any infection control necessities and extra preparation that having an animal onsite would entail.
In the end, emotional support animals are a tricky subject and one that will require an individualised approach. If your practice can be modified to accommodate an emotional support animal and you think it would benefit your patients, it could well be an avenue worth exploring. It’s also likely that as popularity for these animals continues to grow, better regulations and more detailed sanctions will be created to help businesses, including healthcare environments, to better set boundaries for when people do bring their own animals in. Until then, it’s your decision as to whether these animals are more of a benefit or a bother!
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[i] ESA UK. What Is An Emotional Support Animal? Link: https://www.esaorguk.com/ [Last accessed February 22].
[ii] Daily Mail. What Is An Emotional Support Animal and What Kind of Animals are Qualified? Link: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6261923/What-emotional-support-animal-kind-animals-qualified.html [Last accessed February 22].
[iii] Daily Mail. Brooklyn Artist Is Denied A Request To Bring Her Emotional Support Peacock On A Flight. Link: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5331627/Artist-denied-request-bring-peacock-flight.html [Last accessed February 22].
[iv] JADA. The Ethics Of Emotional Support Animals In The Dental office. Link: https://jada.ada.org/article/S0002-8177(19)30509-4/fulltext [Last accessed February 22].
