PERFIL DOS ANIMAIS UTILIZADOS EM INTERVENÇÕES ASSISTIDAS POR CÃES E DE SEU MANEJO DURANTE OS ATENDIMENTOS NO CENTRO- OESTE BRASILEIRO

Abstract

In order to show the importance of using animals for therapeutic purposes being used during care in health and education areas. In March 2013, the terminology Animal-Assisted Interventions (IAA) emerged, which seeks the objective of including or incorporating animals in the health, education and social areas for therapeutic purposes in humans. Animal-Assisted Intervention can be classified into three categories: they can be called: Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT), Animal-Assisted Activity (AAA) and Animal-Assisted Education (AAS). AAT consists of the human-animal relationship, as part of the therapeutic process. They are supervised and organized by a health professional, in this category, within the health offices, there are only the health professional, the patient, a volunteer and only one animal. Thus, the professional can focus on their goals, record and evaluate the results of these Animal-Assisted Interventions. The AAA are different, as a health professional is not required. Its main objective is to improve the quality of life of those assisted, and it does not necessarily need to have its results evaluated. In this category, AAAs can be performed in open environments and several animals are used at once. The EAA are grouped in the pedagogical nature and have specific objectives. Among the most used animals, the dog is the most suitable animal for these interventions, as it has characteristics such as being an intelligent animal with good perception, in addition to having a natural affection for people and enjoying socializing. To participate in these activities, the dog needs to go through a process of selection and behavioral assessment to verify whether or not he is able to work in these interventions. Therefore, this work had as its main foundation the analysis of the profile of the animals used in Interventions Assisted by Dogs (IACs) and their handling during the assistance in the Brazilian Midwest. Through an online questionnaire prepared in Google Forms with 66 questions and being sent via Whatsapp to the main NGOs and Institutions operating in the Midwest region. Six representatives of different institutions operating in the Brazilian Midwest responded to the questionnaire, with representatives from Goiás, the Federal District and Mato Grosso. According to the answers, the data were organized and proceeded to descriptive statistics analysis. The projects had different starting years, with the project starting in 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019. In view of the responses, it was possible to trace that the profile of the dog called co-therapist, ideal for IACs, is the calm and calm dog. sociable, the breed according to the six projects evaluated most being Labrador, Golden, Yorkshire and SRD. Sex ranging from both males and females, the majority being castrated dogs, the initial age of the dog according to the six projects evaluated, being one year old at insertion in the IACs. Most dogs are trained and have prior education before working in IAC activities. Dogs were sociable and allowed the touch/affection of unknown people, sociable with other animals and also having calm behavior in front of other species of animals. The dogs work only one day a week according to the six projects evaluated. All dogs working in the evaluated projects adopt the hygiene method, with the bath taking place on the same day or up to 72 hours before the day of the performance. All dogs are dewormed and have ectoparasite control every four or six months, in addition to all animals being vaccinated against rabies and v8 or v10. All dogs working in the IACs of the evaluated projects are assisted by a veterinarian. It is concluded that the co-therapist dog working in the Midwest region has a profile and handling, for the most part, compatible with that recommended by the literature.