A PAW? YES, THANK YOU AN ANIMAL ASSISTED INTERVENTION (AAI) PILOT PROJECT FOR CHILDREN WITH JUVENILE IDIOPATHIC ARTHRITIS (JIA)

Animal-Assisted Interventions (AAI) is the new way to indicate what was previously known as “Pet Therapy”, as activities can be done either with the conventional “pets” (dogs, cats and rabbits) or with horses and donkeys. Children with JIA have several problems in terms of adherence both due to the atavistic fear of the needle and due to nausea and vomiting - the most important side effects of Methotrexate – often since the 2-3 days before the assumption to immediately after it. Sure that animals can help children to forget this fear and to avoid the psycological conditions which enhance nausea, for the first time in Italy (and probably in Europe) it was designed a specific AAI program for these children.