4-Footed Hospital Visitors Just the Right Rx

With a wag of the tail and a glance at his master, Hummer heaved his oversized paws onto the clean white coverlet of the hospital bed at Palomar Medical Center in Escondido.

The aging golden retriever was just what the doctor ordered for a bedridden patient--a furry bundle of love willing to give his total attention to the lonesome, bored and sometimes frightened human being he was visiting.

Rx Pets got under way last month at Palomar in a program designed to bring a little more TLC into the hospital routine and has won instant acceptance from hospital personnel, pet owners, pets and, most importantly, patients who say they look forward to the four-footed visitors with as much anticipation as the two-footed kinds.

The rules are few, the rewards many for the program, which is the first of its kind in any San Diego County hospital. The pooches are screened physically by veterinarians, are bathed within 24 hours of their hospital visits and are accompanied by their owners or handlers. But, once they are in the room with a seriously ill patient, the dogs play it by ear.

Dr. Douglas Moir, an Escondido cardiologist, hatched the idea of the canine corps after reading of a similar program at Huntington Memorial Hospital in the Los Angeles area. His wife, Margaret, heads up the volunteer committee that runs Rx Pets, and she also visits

patients with the couple’s springer spaniel, Skidmoor.

“Medical research has shown that, when people pet or hold dogs, their blood pressure is lowered,” Moir said. “The unconditional love and loyalty which canines show to the afflicted definitely promotes the healing process.”

The pet parade began officially on May 1 with six dogs of varying breeds visiting patients from 2 to 4 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays. After a four-week run, Gail Loofbourrow, nurse manager for the oncology unit and coordinator for the pet therapy program, pronounced it a tremendous success.

Actually, she confessed, she “snuck in” a few lonesome patients’ pets before Rx Pets started. And she has initiated a spinoff program that allows patients (with their doctor’s permission) to have visits from their own pets.

Loofbourrow started the personal pet program after broaching the idea of a visit by Rx Pets to one patient. The patient broke into tears, confessing her desire to see her own pet.

“Hospitals have a way of saying to patients how much we care,” Loofbourrow said, adding that sometimes hospital routines get in the way of caring gestures, like personal pet visits, that could speed a patient toward recovery.

There is no pressure on patients to participate in the Rx Pets program, Loofbourrow said, but there is pressure from other patients and staff members who want to be included on the pet visiting list. Palomar hospital trustees have voted to expand Rx Pets into the pediatrics department.

The program’s popularity has put an added burden on Shannon Schaefer, owner of Doggie Tech and a canine behavioral specialist. Schaefer, who has two of her own dogs in the program, has volunteered to screen and test canine candidates for the program.

Learning the Ropes

Proper manners, for both the pet and the handler; control of the pet; hygiene and common sense are all features that Schaefer looks for in the candidates and their handlers. The initial batch of volunteers belonged to hospital personnel or persons familiar with hospital routines, but the newer entrants are not, she said.

The dogs are allowed to enter the patient’s room, put their paws up on the bed or even climb up on the bed if the patient requests it. So, Schaefer explained, it is vital that the handler have control of the animal so that an overeager pet does not injure the patient or damage delicate medical apparatus.

Of the newest group of six, four pets passed the screen test and were awarded their red Rx Pet jackets and personal ID badges, complete with photo. One of the losers, Chan, a full-grown Shar-pei (the breed with all that excess skin around the neck and shoulders), was a bit too rambunctious, Schaefer explained. With a little behavior counseling and more familiarity with the sights, sounds and smells of the hospital, Chan may make the grade, she said.

If Schaefer could have her way, all the Rx Pets would be mild-mannered, middle-sized, soulful-eyed and very obedient. No barking, yipping or growling allowed. The volunteer dog handlers can be any size and demeanor, but should have complete control over their pets and sensitivity enough to know what pleases the patient and when to leave.

Loofbourrow said she would add to the list of unacceptable behavior “face-lickers and sniffers in unsniffable places.” Puppies are not welcome in a sickroom, despite their lovable qualities, “because they are so busy and sloppy,” she said. Older animals have better “party manners,” and seem to give the comfort that the patients seek.