J Am Anim Hosp Assoc. 2021 Nov 1;57(6):253-277. doi: 10.5326/JAAHA-MS-7250.
The guidelines are the first comprehensive consensus report on veterinary healthcare recommendations for working, assistance, and therapy dogs. This category of canine patients includes a broad assortment of animals, some with well-defined functions and others that provide a more generalized support role. The guidelines discuss recommendations for dogs trained for protection, odor/scent detection, service functions for people with diagnosed disabilities or physical limitations, emotional support, and therapeutic intervention. Although the term is often used to describe dogs providing animal-assisted activities, true therapy dogs provide goal-directed therapy, often under the supervision of a healthcare professional such as an occupational therapist or psychologist. Many working dogs undergo extensive training and have rigorous physical demands placed upon them. These factors make working, assistance, and therapy dogs inherently valuable and impose a need for a high level of primary veterinary care as described in the guidelines. Because working dogs have a particularly close relationship with their handlers, a trust relationship between the practice team and the working-dog client is imperative.
这些准则是首份兽医保健建议的综合共识报告，涉及工作犬、辅助犬和治疗犬。这一类犬患者包括各种各样的动物，有些具有明确的功能，而另一些则提供更广泛的支持作用。这些准则讨论了针对受过保护、气味/嗅觉检测、为诊断出残疾或身体限制的人提供服务功能、情感支持和治疗干预的犬的建议。尽管这个术语通常用于描述提供动物辅助活动的犬，但真正的治疗犬提供有针对性的治疗，通常在医疗保健专业人员（如职业治疗师或心理学家）的监督下进行。许多工作犬接受过广泛的训练，并且对它们的身体有严格的要求。这些因素使工作犬、辅助犬和治疗犬具有内在的价值，并需要按照准则中所述提供高水平的初级兽医护理。由于工作犬与它们的 handlers 关系特别密切，因此实践团队与工作犬客户之间的信任关系是至关重要的。
