Post-operative benefits of animal-assisted therapy in pediatric surgery: a randomised study.

Background: Interest in animal-assisted therapy has been fuelled by studies supporting the many health benefits. The purpose of this study was to better understand the impact of an animal-assisted therapy program on children response to stress and pain in the immediate post-surgical period.

Patients And Methods: Forty children (3-17 years) were enrolled in the randomised open-label, controlled, pilot study.