Do you think pets can be victims of a placebo effect?!
Question: One of the arguements against acupunture or other alternative healing practices using energies Science hasn't proven exist is that clients feel better because they expect the treatment to work, that they're victims of the placebo effect.
Do you think the same can be said for pets that receive such treatments? Can a dog or cat feel better because they believe this alternative treatment will work? Or can they feel better because they're getting all this extra attention from their owner and the healing practitioner?
I had a wolf-dog who had some acupunture treatments for arthritis in her hips while she was also being treated for Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia. She seemed pretty happy when she was getting her acupuncture treatments. I don't know if it was releiving her pain or if she was enjoying the attention and dried chicken treats.
- P.
Answers: One of the arguements against acupunture or other alternative healing practices using energies Science hasn't proven exist is that clients feel better because they expect the treatment to work, that they're victims of the placebo effect.
Do you think the same can be said for pets that receive such treatments? Can a dog or cat feel better because they believe this alternative treatment will work? Or can they feel better because they're getting all this extra attention from their owner and the healing practitioner?
I had a wolf-dog who had some acupunture treatments for arthritis in her hips while she was also being treated for Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia. She seemed pretty happy when she was getting her acupuncture treatments. I don't know if it was releiving her pain or if she was enjoying the attention and dried chicken treats.
- P.
I feel that use with animals is one of the "proofs" that alternative medicine practices can help with physical problems.
My old cat, who was known for her difficult behavior in a vet office, calmly accepted eight to ten needles being placed on her body for 20-30 minutes. She would get quite restless for the last five minutes before the needles were removed.
My cat with bladder cancer has been clear of any bladder pathology for almost two years now. That's a very agressive cancer and 100% fatal for cats. He had surgery and the tumors were biopsied confirming the presence of transitional cell carcinoma. He has had only homeopathic remedies since his surgery. So it is not a case of misdiagnosis or a "miracle" that he is still alive and perfectly normal in every respect.
So certainly all our pets enjoy attention and treats and I cannot see where a placebo effect is causing good results in their treatment. This may be especially true of cats who are much more resistive and upset by any conventional veterinary treatment and are notoriously recalcitrant in taking any form of medication by mouth.
A dog cannot comprehend that something is going to do good for them in advance. This requires self-awareness and cognition which dogs do not demonstrate (not knockin on dogs here). If the dog does understand that something good is going to be done for them then it cannot rationalize that that "something good" is working and making them feel better. In this case I would say the dog is feeling better because of the treats and attention.
Having companion animals myself I do not believe that they are subject to being victims of the placebo effect.While I'm sure that they do enjoy the attention that they recieve pain is pain and animals have the mind set of living in the moment and generally do not form preconcieved ideas about a certain type of treatment.They do not think to themselves gee this is not going to work or I've never heard of such a thing. I have had to say good bye to three of our beloved Siberian Huskies due to illness beyond what could be done for them.I have also seen miracles on other companion animals.There are usually signs that your companion animal will give you if a particular treatment is working besides the typical tests that are performed.Are they eating and drinking?Are they still able to be active?Is their routine and activities normal for them?They have their way of talking to us if we just take the time to listen. MOM
Animals don't know that they're being treated and so anticipate that they'll get better. In that sense, they aren't influenced the way people are.
However, if an animal has received several treatments that have given them relief and then receive what looks like the same treatment, they may have a placebo effect. I think this is called the Pavlov effect.
I do not believe that animals are subject to the placebo effect. As they do not rationalize what the long term effects of a treatment should/might be. While I do believe that my dogs enjoy their visits to their alternative vet. were they get acupuncture treatments - the effects that I see in how they move and their presence is extended long (days) after we have left the office.
I believe that energy medicine is operating at a level beyond what our rudimentary scientific tests can report - and that we limit ourselves by restricting treatment to that which can be proven.
As for me if the benefit I received when I had acupuncture was all placebo effect - then so be it - it was still a benefit to my health.
One of the biggest misconceptions people have (especially the AltMed community) is that the placebo effect requires that the treated being "knows" and "anticipates" benefit.
THIS IS NOT NECESSARY FOR PLACEBO EFFECT.
Researchers know that placebo effect is present in antibiotic tests (do bacteria "know" they're supposed to die?), it's present in animal testing, it is present in pediatric testing, it NEVER GOES AWAY. Placebo effect is ENHANCED if there is belief in the therapy, but it is not required.
Yes, there is placebo effect in pets. (They're not "victims", though.) Pets feel better because of extra attention.