Purdue University on Service Dogs and PTSD

Summary: Although research suggests that service dogs can be beneficial for military veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the effects of service dogs on medicine usage in veterans is understudied. This study evaluates the effect of service dogs on medicine usage by comparing veterans with a service dog to those on the waitlist to receive one. The results of this study show that having a service dog did not appear to have an overall effect on the use of medications; however, veterans with a service dog were more likely to report decreasing the dose of a medication or being taken off a medication than veterans without a service dog.