Review article
The use of small animals – Mammals, birds, fish in zootherapy
Abstract
Humans
previously had a significantly greater connection with nature and bred
animals primarily for their own benefit. Currently in today's fast-paced
society, nature is being replaced by pet ownership. In some situations,
people cannot have their own pets or do not have enough resources to
take care of a living animal. The goal of this paper is to provide
information relating to the use of small animals in the zootherapy and
their impacts on clients. The use of animals for therapeutic purposes –
zootherapy or animal therapy involves various forms. The most commonly
used method of rehabilitation and therapeutic treatments are the use of
the direct assistance of the animals. In both the broader world and in
the Czech Republic, there are very widely used methods including the
most well-known horses and dogs, hipotherapy and canistherapy. It is
also possible to use other animal species and categories such as farm
animals (cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and llamas) and other more exotic
animals including the use of dolphins. These are used in addition to
species that we could classify as small animals and pets. It is possible
to include in this group of small pets, such creatures as cats,
rabbits, ferrets, birds, fish, etc. For some species we briefly discuss
the biology of these animals. They are also used in schools, zoos,
hospitals and homes for the elderly. Homes for the elderly and hospitals
can also benefit from birds (most of them already have parrots and
other species). The other alternative is an aquarium with fish. The
article describes the different types of zootherapies which, above all,
has a positive influence on the mental and physical health of a person.
The primary part deals with the use of specific types of small animals
in the zootherapy. It is described in more details the use of cats,
ferrets, rabbits, rodents, birds, and fish.
Keywords
- Zootherapy;
- Small animal;
- Mammal;
- Bird;
- Fish
Copyright
© 2015 Faculty of Health and Social Studies of University of South
Bohemia in České Budějovice. Published by Elsevier Urban & Partner
Sp. z o.o. All rights reserved.
