Urinary oxytocin levels in children meeting a Hospital Dog.

UNLABELLED

There has been growing interest in animal-assisted therapy (AAT) in recent decades due to increasing reports indicating its health benefits for adult patients. These benefits are partly attributed to changes, usually increased levels of the neuropeptide oxytocin.  AIM: To investigate changes in oxytocin levels in hospitalized children meeting a certified Hospital Dog.

METHOD

Urine samples were collected between 25/02/2016 and 24/05/2017 from 35 hospitalized children (3-17 years) before and after each participant had a session with the Hospital Dog. Oxytocin levels were analysed with an acetylcholinesterase (AChE) competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Creatinine levels were measured to determine the subject's fluid intake and then divided by the hormonal concentration (uOT pg/ml).

RESULTS

The mean level of uOT was 186.0 ± 236.7 (51.5-1349.5) pg/ml before and 137.3 ± 121.5 (30.7-591.3) pg/ml after the dog session (p = 0.010).

CONCLUSION

Decreased levels of uOT were recorded during the study in which hospitalized children met a Hospital Dog. The decreased OT levels are potentially the result of the intense activity the subject experienced with the dog during the interaction.