Groundbreaking Study Uncovers the Life-Changing Power Of Service Dogs For Veterans With PTSD

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In a remarkable breakthrough, a new study has unveiled the profound impact service dogs have on the lives of military veterans battling Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). For those who have endured the invisible wounds of trauma, these loyal companions are proving to be more than just a source of comfort – they are transforming lives.

By offering unwavering support, reducing anxiety, and helping veterans reclaim their sense of independence, service dogs are emerging as a powerful tool in the fight against PTSD. This groundbreaking research sheds light on how these incredible animals make a life-changing difference for those who have served.

What Is PTSD?

The official definition of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), is a mental health condition that develops after exposure to a traumatic event involving actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence. The diagnosis requires the presence of specific symptoms lasting for more than one month, causing significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.

Prevalence Of PTSD

Around one in three people who experience a traumatic event develop PTSD, but not everyone exposed to trauma will develop the condition. Approximately 6-8% of the population will experience PTSD at some point in their lives.

PTSD is more common in military veterans due to their exposure to combat and life-threatening situations. The prevalence of PTSD in veterans can range from 10% to 30%, depending on the conflict and individual circumstances.

Ways To Support PTSD Recovery

Recovering from PTSD is a personal journey that often involves a combination of treatments, coping strategies, and lifestyle changes. Here are some evidence-based ways to support recovery:

1. Professional Therapies

Therapy is often the cornerstone of PTSD treatment. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) helps individuals reframe negative thoughts and behaviors related to their trauma. Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) is another highly effective method, using guided eye movements to process and reframe traumatic memories. Exposure Therapy can gradually desensitize individuals to trauma-related thoughts or environments, while group therapy provides a supportive space for sharing experiences and fostering mutual understanding.

2. Medications

Medications can be an essential part of recovery for some individuals. Antidepressants, particularly selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) like sertraline or paroxetine, are commonly prescribed to reduce symptoms such as anxiety and depression. For severe anxiety, anti-anxiety medications may be used on a short-term basis. Prazosin is sometimes prescribed to alleviate nightmares, which are a common symptom of PTSD.

3. Support Networks

Establishing a support network plays a vital role in recovery. Building strong relationships with friends and family or joining support groups can help individuals feel less isolated. Peer support groups, in particular, allow individuals to connect with others who have experienced similar challenges, creating a sense of community and shared understanding.

4. Lifestyle Changes

Making lifestyle changes can significantly enhance well-being. Regular exercise, especially aerobic activities, helps reduce stress and improve mood by releasing endorphins. Mindfulness practices, such as meditation or mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), can improve emotional regulation and reduce anxiety. A healthy, balanced diet supports both physical and mental health. Establishing a consistent sleep routine can address sleep disturbances and improve overall restfulness.

5. Trauma-Focused Activities

Engaging in trauma-focused activities can also be therapeutic. Creative outlets, like art or music therapy, provide a safe way to express emotions. Writing or journaling allows individuals to process their trauma and reflect on their feelings.

6. Stress Management Techniques

Stress management techniques are essential for coping with PTSD symptoms. Breathing exercises like deep or diaphragmatic breathing can calm the nervous system and reduce anxiety. Progressive muscle relaxation, which involves tensing and relaxing muscle groups, is another effective stress management method. Grounding techniques, which focus on using the five senses to stay connected to the present moment, can help individuals regain control during distressing episodes.

7. Alternative & Holistic Approaches

For some, holistic approaches may complement traditional treatments. Acupuncture is sometimes used to alleviate PTSD symptoms, and yoga combines physical activity with mindfulness, offering both mental and physical benefits. Spending time in nature or engaging in activities like gardening can also reduce stress and improve mental well-being.

8. Seeking Help Early

Finally, early treatment can significantly improve outcomes. Early intervention provides individuals the tools and support to address symptoms before they worsen. If you or someone you know is struggling with PTSD, reaching out to a mental health professional can be the first step toward healing.

How Do Service Dogs Help People With PTSD? 8 Ways

PTSD service dogs undergo rigorous and highly specialized training to support individuals living with PTSD. These remarkable animals are not only companions but also critical tools for managing symptoms and improving daily life, and dogs are one of the most successful ways to manage PTSD recovery. Their ultimate purpose is to provide their handlers with a consistent sense of safety, confidence, and independence, empowering them to reclaim their lives. Here are some of the many extraordinary ways in which these psychiatric service dogs make a difference:

1. Apply Pressure To Alleviate Anxiety

PTSD service dogs are trained to sense when their handler is experiencing heightened anxiety or a panic attack. By gently leaning against or lying across their handler’s body, they apply deep pressure, which has a calming and grounding effect. This physical connection can help reduce stress and prevent an anxiety spiral.

2. Nudge To Interrupt Flashbacks

Service dogs are trained to nudge their handlers with their nose or paw during a flashback or dissociative episode, providing a physical reminder of the present. This intervention helps pull the handler out of the traumatic memory and back into reality, offering reassurance and grounding.

3. Gently Wake Handlers From Nightmares

Many individuals with PTSD suffer from recurrent nightmares. Service dogs can detect signs of distress during sleep, such as tossing, turning, or vocalizations. They gently wake their handlers, using a nudge or lick, to interrupt the nightmare and provide comfort upon waking. Knowing the dog is present can also reduce bedtime anxiety and help the handler feel safer.

4. Help With Feelings Of Loneliness & Isolation

PTSD often leads to social withdrawal and feelings of isolation. Service dogs offer companionship, helping handlers feel less alone. Their presence also encourages social interaction, as handlers may feel more confident venturing out into the world with their dog by their side.

5. Serve As A Physical Barrier In Public

Crowded spaces or encounters with strangers can be overwhelming for someone with PTSD. Service dogs are trained to stand between their handler and approaching individuals, creating a physical barrier that reduces stress and increases the handler’s sense of control in public settings.

6. Provide Security In Crowded Places

Service dogs act as a buffer and companion in busy or crowded environments, offering security. They create a safe zone for their handlers and a sense of familiarity, helping to mitigate the feelings of vulnerability that often accompany PTSD in such situations.

7. Retrieve Medication Or Remind Handlers To Take It

PTSD service dogs can be trained to retrieve medication or provide reminders for their handlers to take it at scheduled times. This support ensures that important treatments are not missed, aiding their handler’s overall mental health management.

8. Providing Routine and Structure

Caring for a service dog adds a sense of purpose and structure to the handler’s day. The daily responsibilities of feeding, grooming, and walking the dog encourage consistent routines, which can be incredibly beneficial for individuals struggling with PTSD.

By performing these and many other tasks, PTSD service dogs go beyond emotional support – they actively contribute to the mental and physical well-being of their handlers. Their unwavering loyalty and specialized training make them indispensable allies in the journey toward recovery and improved quality of life.

How the Study Unfolded

Dr. Maggie O’Haire and her research team (the OHAIRE Group) of the University of Arizona College of Veterinary Medicine, in partnership with K9s For Warriors, conducted the largest nationwide study comparing military members who had service dogs to those who were undergoing standard PTSD treatment without a trained canine companion. It involved more than 150 veterans over three months.

Researchers recruited participants through K9s For Warriors’ database of veterans suffering from PTSD — 81 veterans were paired with psychiatric service dogs (coined the intervention group), and the control group included 75 members. All had unrestricted access to standard PTSD treatment throughout the trial. Researchers analyzed both self-reported symptoms and expert clinician assessment for PTSD, anxiety, and depression symptoms along with social health and quality of life.

About The Participants

The study focused on military veterans diagnosed with PTSD who were paired with specially trained service dogs vs those who were not. Participants included veterans, all experiencing significant PTSD symptoms that impacted their daily lives. The group ranged in age, gender, and severity of symptoms, providing a comprehensive understanding of how service dogs can assist individuals with varying needs. Here’s a little background on the selection of veterans in both groups and their PTSD symptoms.

PTSD Symptoms

• The percentage of participants receiving a clinician PTSD diagnosis was 75% in the intervention group compared to 85% in the control group.
• Study participants in the service dog group scored about 11.5 points lower on a self-report PTSD symptom severity measure (range: 0-80, where higher scores = worse symptoms).

Anxiety

• The probability of meeting the cutoff for generalized anxiety disorder at 3 months was 48% in the intervention group, compared to 78% in the control group.
• Participants in the service dog group scored about 4.4 points lower on self-reported anxiety, where a 3-point change is considered the “minimally important difference.”*

Depression

• The probability of meeting the cutoff for at least mild depression was 76% in the intervention group, compared to 88% in the control group.
• Participants in the service dog group scored about 3.3 points lower on self-reported depression, where (again) a 3-point change is considered the “minimally important difference.”

*Minimally important difference (MID) refers to the amount of change that a patient or clinician would consider significant, which might warrant a change in how the individual’s care is managed.

About The Training Of The PTSD Service Dogs

In this study, all the K9s For Warriors service dogs received 60 hours of specialized training for PTSD-related skills, including interrupting or alerting to anxiety, calming or comforting anxiety, blocking (creating space), covering (watching back), and making a friend (social greeting). Nearly 60% of dogs were mixed breeds; the most common pure breed was the Labrador Retriever (22%).

What The Research Reveals

The National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded study, published in JAMA Network Open on June 4, found that service dogs significantly lowered the severity of veterans’ PTSD symptoms, the odds of a PTSD diagnosis, and other negative mental health symptoms due to emotional trauma from combat violence.

It’s also the first such study to utilize gold-standard, blinded clinician ratings of PTSD to measure outcomes. Researchers were careful to structure this study so that clinician raters weren’t aware of the study topic (service dogs), design, timing (baseline or follow-up), and whether participants were part of the intervention group (those with service dogs) or the control group.

Sarah Leighton, a Ph.D. candidate in psychology at the University of Arizona and the paper’s first author, says the results after the three-month trial were encouraging.

Overall, we found the most comprehensive evidence to date supporting service dog partnerships for veterans with PTSD,” she says. “We saw better outcomes in the service dog group in nearly every area we measured. This is particularly notable given the short time frame. Service dog partnerships can last a decade, but we’re already seeing significant change after just three months of partnership.

Lasting Lessons From The Research

Anecdotal evidence of the benefits of pairing service dogs with military veterans abounds. But now, solid scientific research confirms that these dogs provide invaluable psychological therapy for those suffering from PTSD. Results from a large-scale clinical trial comparing veterans with and without service dogs demonstrate the overwhelmingly positive benefits that these canines provide for PTSD-stricken veterans.

Why Is This Research So Important?

Leighton, who has been in the service dog industry since 2010 and has worked with the OHAIRE Group and Dr. O’Haire (the study’s principal investigator) since 2021, explains the importance of their team’s ongoing studies into service dogs and veterans.

Research enables us to translate peoples’ lived experiences into actionable data, and to amplify the voices of veterans and their families through science. This work is essential for improvements to policies, funding, and access.

Service dogs are in high demand; waitlists are extremely long, yet funding is limited due to limited data. Policymakers, clinicians, and the public need robust scientific evidence to understand what to expect from service dog partnerships – at the same level as the evidence behind any other health intervention.

– Sarah Leighton, Lead Author of Service Dogs for Veterans and Military Members With Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Leighton shares that the OHAIRE Group is currently midway through their next study, a gold-standard NIH-funded clinical trial, to confirm these findings in a randomized design. “This will help us establish causation. In other words, service dog partnerships cause X, Y, Z; as opposed to service dog partnerships are associated with X, Y, Z,” she says.  

Next, they’ll investigate how service dog partnerships combine with evidence-based, frontline PTSD treatments through a Department of Defense-funded randomized clinical trial. “Specifically, we’ll learn whether trained service dogs can help veterans overcome the stresses and challenges that are involved in Prolonged Exposure therapy to increase treatment completion and achieve better health outcomes,” Leighton explains. “Ultimately, the future of our research is to move beyond the binary of whether or not service dog partnerships work to understand for whom and under what circumstances service dog partnerships are most effective.”

Ryan Palomba’s Story

After nearly 20 years of service in the Army Reserves, including serving as a truck driver in heavy combat situations during the Iraq War, Ryan Palomba’s anxiety had become disabling. As a truck driver in the Army in Iraq in 2005-2006, Staff Sergeant Ryan Palomba drove nearly 30,000 miles in combat situations for a year.

He and his fellow military members were consistently under extreme fire. Although the semi-truck he drove was fully armored, the constant barrage of bullets, RPGs, hand grenades, and exploding IEDs took its toll on his mental health. He and his company also experienced random mortar and rocket attacks at their base, LSA Anaconda (Balad Air Base).

Three months ago, the nonprofit organization K9s For Warriors paired Palomba with Frankie, a service dog specifically trained to assist with PTSD symptoms. Within the first few days, Palomba could already tell that Frankie was making a significant impact in his daily life by helping to alleviate his anxiety.

While Palomba didn’t participate in this study, he is part of the K9s For Warriors family and can testify to the importance of service canines. In March, he and his service dog Frankie became the 1,000th Warrior/K9 team to ‘graduate’ from their program that teaches veterans how to work with their paired service dogs. He’s eager to share his experiences and help bring as much attention to the benefits of these dogs as possible. “I know they can do a lot of good for veterans out there that are struggling, most silently,” says Palomba.

How Frankie Helps Palomba

It’s only been a few months since Palomba had Frankie, but he says the canine’s support is already impacting many areas of his life, including being out in public, going to work, and spending time with his family.

Frankie helps redirect me when my anxiety is high. He will stare at me with what we call his “crazy eyes” that tell me he is focused on me because my anxiety is high. If I don’t let him work and calm me down, then he will audibly alert me by barking at me. It draws my attention to him instead of whatever is causing me to be anxious.

– Ryan Palomba, Retired Army Staff Sergeant 

He also shares how Frankie has improved his interactions with his wife and kids. “My emotional range for my family was limited, usually causing my fuse to be shorter and me to be generally more grumpy, tired, or frustrated. This would cause me to lash out at my family or take out my frustrations on my kids by yelling over small things,” says Palomba.

However, he explains that having Frankie there for him in emotionally trying situations has allowed him to regain emotional bandwidth and be more present for his family. “I am able to be more emotionally aware of myself and my family members. I am able to interact with them in a much calmer and productive way.”

Palomba points out that a service dog is not a miracle cure for PTSD. “It’s a tool we can put in our mental health toolbox, right next to talking to a therapist, opening up to those we have good relationships with, and my relationship with God. But I thank God every day for K9s for Warriors increasing my toolkit and the gift they have given me in Frankie.”

Could You Benefit From A Service Dog?

Military veterans aren’t the only ones who benefit from the support of our furry friends. If you suffer from mental health issues, you may be able to qualify for a trained dog to help you cope with daily life. Learn more about psychiatric service dogs (PSDs) and emotional support animals (ESAs).

Our Personal Experience With Dogs & PTSD Recovery

Although my dog Bonkers isn’t a service animal, he was paramount in my mental health recovery many years ago. In 2018, I moved to Germany (from the United Kingdom) and couldn’t take Bonkers with me for several months. At the same time, I was diagnosed with PTSD. Those few months without Bonkers were immensely difficult, and it got to a point where I became housebound.

However, once he joined me, he gave me the boost to leave the house and comforted me, grounding me enough to focus on my treatment plan. He gave me a purpose and structure to my daily routine and a sense of security when in public. Although I have recovered from PTSD, having a dog is still a crucial part of my life and mental health journey, and I don’t think I could be without one.

– Emma Braby, Rescue Dog Mom & Writer For Canine Journal

Dogs Love Us Endlessly – Here’s How To Love Them Back

Dogs shower us with unconditional love, loyalty, and companionship, and there are countless ways to show them how much we care in return. Start by rewarding them with their favorite treats during training or as a token of appreciation. Regular grooming, such as brushing their coat or giving them a soothing bath, keeps them healthy and strengthens your bond. Don’t forget to provide mental stimulation with puzzle toys, scent games, or new challenges to keep their minds sharp and engaged. Lastly, pick a high-quality doggy diet to meet their nutritional needs and keep them energized and healthy.

Are you a veteran with a story to share? Do you have a service dog to aid your treatment plan? We love to hear from our readers, so please get in touch in the comment section below.

Why Trust Canine Journal?

Sally has over 20 years of experience in human health sciences communications, including 10 years as an expert on pet health conditions and treatment. She’s an avid enthusiast and researcher of the latest scientific studies on all things canine. Sally is part of a team of canine professionals and long-time dog owners who stay on top of the most helpful research, best products, and more for our own pups and those of all of our readers.