Research shows how service dogs can help veterans with PTSD

November 7, 2018

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — For veterans struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder, service dogs might be able to offer both behavioral and physiological benefits to help counter some of those symptoms, according to research that is being led by the Purdue College of Veterinary Medicine.

Maggie O’Haire, assistant professor of human-animal interaction in the College of Veterinary Medicine, is at the forefront of the research that is taking a closer look at how service dogs help veterans with PTSD. The latest findings have indicated that veterans may benefit physiologically from having a service dog — the first published research to use a physiological marker to show the effects of service dogs.

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