What can a dog do for severe, erratic, chronic pain? Most people would say nothing. They’re just dogs. I strongly disagree. In this post, I’ll give an overview of the various tasks that could be beneficial to someone with CRPS, how a dog can prevent flares, and how my own service dog helps me specifically.
How a Dog Can Manage Pain
Service dogs assist their handlers by doing simple actions for them that may be difficult or impossible given their respective conditions. I label my service dog as a mobility dog, because that’s the existing category that he best fits in, but really he is in the business of pain management. CRPS is very complicated, erratic, unpredictable, and finicky. For many patients, an action as simple as turning a door knob can cause a sudden flare that feels as if lightning is coursing through their arm, zapping their body, and resulting in a total collapse on the floor. That flare could be prevented by a service dog opening & closing the door for their handler. This may be done by pushing a button, pulling a rope, or pushing down on a lever door knob. For every flare avoided, their handler can save an additional spoon for something else later on. The more energy we have, the better our chances of using our spoons for date night, watching a child’s sporting event, cooking dinner, and more. How can a dog manage pain? By helping us do the little things, they help us do the big things. The things that make us feel alive and whole again.
Tasks That May Help CRPS Patients Day-to-Day
- Open Doors
- Brace – prevent falls, rise from chair, rise after fall, get out of shower safely
- Alert to Flares Before they Happen so handler can take medication & rest appropriately
- Respond to Flares in order to help ground handler & keep them focused on the present
- Carry objects in a pack
- Retrieve items & hand them to handlers
- Find help – taught to find specific person, alert them by pawing or pushing their leg with a nose, then bring the person back to their handler to provide assistance
- Bring medication/Remind to take medication
- Drag heavy objects such as a laundry basket
- Pull lightweight cart to help outside
- Counter-balance while walking to stabilize handler
- Deep Pressure Therapy to help decrease pain levels and aid in full body relaxation
- Get Dressed by bracing or pulling clothes off
Robbie’s Tasks
- Open Doors
- Find Help
- Retrieve Items
- Pull Cart
- Drag Laundry Basket
- Respond to Flares & Ground
- Counter – Balance while Walking
- Bracing
- Get Dressed
Before we adopted Robbie, I wasn’t even sure if a dog could be used to manage CRPS. But I did know how beneficial they could be for other mobility disorders, so I thought, why not? Easily one of the best decisions I have ever made. It is not widely known, but yes service dogs can be extremely helpful to someone with CRPS. Programs may not recognize your need for a service dog over someone who is paralyzed or blind, but that doesn’t make your need for a service dog any less valid. Part of why we went with owner-training for myself. Anything is possible. Help is possible, no matter what the doctors tell you. There is something that can be done, and that’s accepting assistance from a dog. It will change your life. It will be hard, but worth it. Service dogs help their handlers manage their lives and live full lives despite their conditions. Even a beast like CRPS can be managed with the aid of a service dog.
Helping people with CRPS train or find a service dog is why Disabled Advantage was created. Book a free consult or a more in depth coaching session with me today to get the assistance you need.
