Service dogs helped ease PTSD symptoms in US military veterans, researchers say

By CARLA K. JOHNSON
AP Medical Writer

Specially trained service dogs helped ease PTSD symptoms in U.S. military veterans in a small study that the researchers hope will help expand options for service members. The research was published Tuesday in JAMA Network Open. The dogs are trained to pick up a veteran’s physical signs of distress and can interrupt panic attacks and nightmares with a loving nudge. After three months, PTSD symptoms improved in both groups, but the veterans with dogs saw a bigger improvement on average than the veterans on the waiting list.