Our findings can inform policymakers, health clinicians and insurance companies on the value of service dogs for veterans with PTSD, potentially increasing funding for groups that train and place service dogs and shortening wait times.

We’re conducting a randomized clinical trial called the Service Dog and Veteran Experiences Study, or SERVES. It’s being done in collaboration with K9s For Warriors and Canine Companions, another nonprofit that trains and provides service dogs to veterans.

In this next study, we will have a randomized group of veterans receive a service dog early or remain on the waitlist as a control. We will follow those veterans for 12 months – rather than just three months – after they receive a service dog or not.

The SERVES study, in turn, will be followed by another randomized clinical trial funded by the Defense Department. It will investigate whether service dog partnerships can enhance the effectiveness of prolonged exposure therapy, an existing gold standard treatment for PTSD.

This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and analysis to help you make sense of our complex world.

Read more:
Service dogs can help veterans with PTSD – growing evidence shows they may reduce anxiety in practical ways

Emotional support animals can endanger the public and make life harder for people like me who rely on service dogs

Sarah Leighton receives funding from the University of Arizona One Health Research Initiative. She worked for Canine Companions from 2010-2021 and continues to volunteer for them. This research was funded by grant R21HD091896 from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health of the National Institutes of Health; grants KL2TR001106 and UL1TR001108 from the National Institutes of Health, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, and Clinical and Translational Sciences Awards Program; Merrick Pet Care; PetCo Foundation; and Newman’s Own Foundation.

Kerri Rodriguez currently receives funding from The University of Arizona One Health Research Initiative, The Human-Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI), The National Institute of Justice (NIJ), and Endeavors. Dr. Rodriguez serves on the advisory boards for American Humane, Pet Partners, and Fetch Pet Insurance.