K9 Therapy, the Medicine
that PTSD Veterans Need!

Veterans of war are some of the most damaged people mentally and sometimes physically also. When War Vets come home they experience horrible nightmares and are often rattled and on edge constantly. Waking up everyday is a struggle to these vets after what they have been through and seen or heard. These struggles are hard and can often lead to depression and loneliness as they seem to push everyone away from them in fear for what might happen if they stay like family and loved ones. Veterans seem broken and helpless, forced to take medications that rarely take away their feelings but instead only mask the pain underneath. Is there a way to truly help fix these veterans or are they broken forever?

PTSD veterans often need someone or something to help them through the pain. Sometimes these vets come back so mentally wounded that their family and friends may not want to be around them seeing how changed they are after a war or battle in the line of duty. One possible way may be a dog, specifically a dog trained to help support their companion and make them feel happy and full of emotions again. Service dogs are one of the best options out there for vets to feel safer and loved and gives the veteran a responsibility to look after the dog as it will look after for them. Service dogs have been provided to veterans since 1958, beginning with blind veterans needing guide dogs to help them travel and assist their mobility. Since then PTSD service dogs are offered at thousands of clinics to provide support in those who may need a specially trained dog. Places like K9’s For Warriors, the nations largest provider for service dogs for veterans even provides statistics for how much their dogs have helped these veterans. They reported that approximately 92% of veterans report in a reduction of medication after owning a service dog. A high 82% of veterans report that they no longer have suicidal thoughts and feelings after having a k9. K9’s for Warriors main goal is to lower the suicide rate for veterans with PTSD as around 20 vets take their own lives each day. Their program has rescued over 1,500 dogs to give them a life and allowing them to have a purpose instead of being put down or abused.

Some may say most veterans need a service dog to help them rehabilitate and get back on track with their life. Veterans battle with mental health issues daily and having a service dog can help reduce stress, anxiety, and depression. Being out in public again with all the loud noises and people walking around may bother or trigger a veteran with PTSD, so having a dog can help take away all that anxiety they have from being out in the public. Service dogs also help renew enjoyment in life for the vets and allow them to do things they may have felt uncomfortable doing before. Also these dogs can help lessen the amount of medication a vet takes as they no longer feel the need to take these medications for stress or anxiety as the dogs can help solve that issue for them.

Many veterans with PTSD may consider suicide as an option to get them to forget everything they ever witnessed but forever. Suicide rates among veterans of war is very high as around 22 veterans take their lives daily in America. The stress and suffering these veterans go through makes them think they have nothing to live for and are in constant pain, mentally from PSTD. Service dogs can take away some of that stress and fear from the veterans and studies have even shown that people with dogs have lower blood pressure levels and are less likely to develop heart disease. Service dogs can help a veteran release dopamine in the brain as dopamine is the brains “happy drug” which can counter the symptoms they may get from PTSD. Playing with dogs has a high increase in peoples dopamine levels, which is what makes us feel excited and motivated. 

More and more vets suffering from PTSD are getting service dogs to help better their lives. NEADS Inc. is one of the top suppliers for trained service dogs specifically for ill or injured veterans around America. These trained dogs could seriously change the lives of vets forever and practically turn some of their lives around and bring that joy back in the world for them. Being alone is one of the worst things ever especially after something traumatic as a war or fight that lead to PTSD. Veterans just need someone around, someone they can trust and feel safe around and protect. K9’s are the best solution for these vets struggling day to day with PTSD symptoms and other mental battles they may face as a veteran.

References

“How pets can help us maintain mental health”- https://namica.org/blog/how-dogs-can-help-us-maintain-mental-health/#:~:text=How%20Dogs%20Can%20Help%20with,improve%20your%20all%2Daround%2

Dogs and PTSD”- https://www.ptsd.va.gov/gethelp/dogs_ptsd.asp

K9’s for warriors-https://k9sforwarriors.org