Support Animals: Chronic Illness and Pets
AiArthritis Voices 360 Full Episode #4
Air Date: December 8, 2019
This episode, your hosts Tiffany and Kelly are joined by special furry co-host Georgia Grace as they dive into the topic of animals and pet ownership. Learn about the difference between service, emotional support, and therapy animals and how owning a pet can benefit people living with chronic illness. They also discuss tips for selecting and caring for pets in spite of mobility challenges and weakened immune systems. Finally, learn about the experience of owning a pet with a chronic illness and how it can enrich your life.
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Show Notes:
00:52 – Tiffany welcomes listeners
1:00 – Tiffany introduces Georgia Grace of “Making Lemonade with Georgia Grace” and owner, Kelly Conway, co-founder of our organization
01:45 - Georgia Grace is a 10 year old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel who has 10 chronic illnesses and was initially given a life expectancy of only 3 years
02:47 - Georgia’s story
06:49 - Georgia is a certified therapy dog
08:17 - 3 types of animals that are prominent in the AiArthritis community: emotional support animals, service animals, and therapy animals
09:45 - Tiffany adopted a rescue named Jack to help her combat depression and a sense of isolation
10:35 - Members of the AiArthritis community often depend on service, therapy, or emotional support animals to improve their quality of life
11:01 - Service animals are individually trained to perform tasks for their handler (ex: pulling wheelchairs, guiding the visually impaired, alerting high blood sugar or impending seizure)
11:33 - Emotional Support animals are usually dogs or cats, but not always
12:00 - Some people are abusing the accommodations for emotional support animals, which has a negative impact on people who genuinely need them
13:22 - Emotional support animals are specific to psychiatric disabilities and “other mental impairments” - which can include depression or anxiety
14:12 - Therapy animals must pass the Canine Good Citizen Test to be licensed, and only dogs with a very specific disposition will be able to pass the exam even after receiving intense training
16:56 - Therapy dogs must not beg for food, bark, climb or jump on people, react to loud noises, walk reliably on a leash, etc.
18:24 - Never approach a service animal or attempt to touch them or allow your children to do so
18:32 - People are able to pet therapy dogs as that is a big part of their function
18:41 - Only pet an emotional support animal if the owner allows it
19:51 - One of the benefits of pet ownership for people with chronic illness is that it can force the owner to exercise, which is good for patients even though the motivation can be very challenging when someone is in pain or not feeling well
21:00 - Not all breeds are a good choice for people with chronic illness. Researching breeds can inform choices based on exercise requirements, grooming requirements, space needs, etc.
22:20 - Having any pet can decrease blood pressure, according to the CDC
22:38 - Owning pets can encourage patients with chronic illness to socialize, which can also help with feelings of isolation
22:48 - If someone travels a lot, they should consider more independent pets like cats versus a dog that will require continuous care
24:18 - Having a weakened immune system can be an issue for pet owners due to zoonotic diseases, which are infections spread to humans by animals.
27:24 - People with weakened immune systems should wash hands after petting animals or handling their food.
27:37 - Scratches from animals can turn into cellulitis when you have a weakened immune system.
28:53 - Kelly discusses the experience of owning a chronically ill dog.
31:57 - Kelly was surprised at how many owners of chronically ill pets also have a chronic illness.
34:00 - Kelly shares tips for living well with pets even if you are battling a chronic illness.
39:50 - Tiffany and Kelly ask listeners to contribute their best tips to living more comfortably with a pet when you and/or the pet have a chronic illness.
41:06 - Our organization will publish safety tips about living with pets and weakened immune systems.
41:27 - We will publish information about traveling internationally with service or emotional support animals.
41:49 - Tiffany asks listeners to log onto our website and let us know who you would like to have on the podcast in the future.
42:06 - This episode serves as the official launch for our organization's Annual Talk to Impact AiArthritis. Learn more at www.aiarthritis.org/talk
42:52 - Kelly will be giving away a “pawtographed” copy of Making Lemonade With Georgia Grace and a Living Well With Chronic Illness photo calendar to one lucky winner. (THIS HAS ENDED, THANK YOU TO THOSE WHO PARTICIPATED)
44:00 - Talk to Impact AiArthritis is an annual charity fundraiser to generate end of year funds for our organization so we can continue all of the work that we do.
45:20 - Tiffany thanks listeners and furry guests and invites everyone to check out www.aiarthritis.org/podcast
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AiArthritis Voices 360 is produced by the International Foundation for Autoimmune and Autoinflammatory Arthritis. Visit us on the web at www.aiarthritis.org/talkshow. Find us on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook (@ifAiArthritis) or email us (podcast@aiarthritis.org).
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Your Co-Hosts & Guests: Who is at the table this episode?
Kelly Conway and Georgia Grace
Georgia is a chronically ill dog owned by our organization's co-founder, Kelly Conway. Check out the book Kelly wrote about Georgia called "Making Lemonade with Georgia Grace."
Kelly is a speech-language pathologist, author/blogger, a patient advocate, and Georgia's owner. She has been living with autoimmune arthritis since age 14 but wasn’t formally diagnosed until age 32. That diagnosis has changed more than 5 times over the past 18 years. Through social media, she connected with fellow patients and cofounded the International Foundation for Autoimmune and Autoinflammatory arthritis. She has represented her state of Pennsylvania on Capitol Hill for the American College of Rheumatology multiples times, and speaks of the patient perspective at medical/pharmaceutical conferences. Kelly believes in the power of the patient voice and sharing our stories to raise awareness, education, and advocacy.
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