The saying “A dog is a man’s best friend” has been heard by all, and in this context, this saying could not hold more truth. The U.S. Department of Defense is embarking on a 12-month study specifically looking at how dogs are aiding war veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, transition into civilian life.
Mental health issues that many war veterans experience often disrupt their lives by bringing soldiers back into the combat environment. As their minds fall slip into the warfare environment they were previously exposed to, the comfort of a dog has been proven to pull them back to reality. Having a reliable and protective figure has given war veterans a sense of safety and comfort.
Because of the positive experiences these dogs have created for their veteran owners, teams of “psychiatric service dogs” have been created by the Psychiatric Dog Service Association. As explained by the association’s founder Joan Gibbon Esnayra, “If a dog observes when a person with PTSD is escalating, the dog will be able to signal that they are escalating and, given it’s so early in process, the person can manage and even prevent escalation,” (health.usnews.com)
As these companions are aiding those suffering with the psychological struggles caused by combat, we have to look at those undergoing the physical effects of war. While enduring war, soldiers are continuously coming into contact with foreign matter, some of which can cause detrimental effects to their health. One of the silent killers of warfare is exposure to asbestos fibers. These tiny particles were present in many areas frequented by the U.S. Armed Forces, making the hazardous contact unavoidable.
Because of the frequency in which asbestos was used in the U.S. Armed forces, veterans are being stricken with the form of cancer called mesothelioma. Mesothelioma occurs in the mesothelium which is described as the tissue formed by a thin layer of cells lining the body’s internal organs. The most common form, occupying three-fourths of mesotheliomas, occur in the chest cavity and are identified as pleural mesothelioma.
Often referred to as asbestos cancer, mesothelioma is an extremely aggressive type cancer that is frequently diagnosed within the veteran community. The similarity of the symptoms to those of bronchitis, pneumonia or the flu, often causes this type of cancer to go undiagnosed at first. As this form of cancer takes anywhere from 20 to 50 years to developed, its diagnosis is often found in older war veterans.
As the U.S. Department of Defense studies the positive effects that dogs have on those war veterans with undergoing psychological trauma, the therapeutic comfort of a dog could also create the same stress relief. War veterans who are suffering from physical illnesses, such as mesothelioma, could benefit from the companionship and the dependency that a ‘man’s best friend’ has to offer.
