The pet project: A qualitative exploration into the experience of pet ownership following spinal cord injury.

STUDY DESIGN

Qualitative study OBJECTIVES: To explore the unique experience of facilitators, barriers, rewards, and challenges related to pet ownership after spinal cord injury (SCI).

SETTING

Zoom for Healthcare videoconferencing platform hosted from an American neuro-rehabilitation hospital in Colorado.

METHODS

Sixteen individuals with SCI participated in three semi-structured focus groups of 5-6 participants each. Resulting discussions were transcribed and coded using a hybrid approach to thematic analysis.

RESULTS

Experiences of pet ownership were categorized by their representativeness of four key themes: facilitators (conditions that make obtaining or maintaining pets easier), barriers (conditions that were prohibitive or that prevented people from having pets), rewards (benefits of pet ownership), and challenges (difficulties associated with pet ownership). Participants cited equipment, tools, and services as the most common facilitator for owning pets after SCI, with environment being the most commonly cited barrier. Companionship, love, and comfort/security were most commonly cited as rewards, while mobility was cited as a primary challenge of pet ownership after SCI. Additionally, two unexpected response themes emerged. Positive outweighs negative included assertions that benefits of having pets were not overshadowed by drawbacks, and Wishlist included desires for training and access to tools to facilitate pet ownership.

CONCLUSIONS

Pet ownership is largely unexplored in individuals with SCI. Participants in this study indicated that pet ownership provides many benefits, though it is not without its challenges. Participants also noted the desire for training and resources to make pet ownership more accessible. Further exploration into informing development of those tools is warranted.