Flavio Santos had been stuck in the hospital for several weeks for cancer treatment. Lying in the Brazil hospital bed, he was exhausted, anxious, and struggling to get through – and he was also very dearly missing someone special to him.
But it wasn’t a human that Santos was missing. It was his precious pup, Adagir. The nurses who were looking after Santos knew how much he missed his pooch and decided that they would arrange for Adagir to pay his Dad a visit.
When Agadir was arrived and finally saw his Dad after so long, he was over the moon! Santos was also absolutely thrilled.
Eventually, Agadir had to leave and go home, but that’s when the medical professionals treating and caring for Santos noticed something. He had transformed. He talked, engaged, and was very oriented and conscious. It was a slow, gradual process, but before long, he was much more positive.
This wouldn’t be the first time something like this has happened. Pet visits have been shown to provide countless benefits to patients, even physical ones, like better blood pressure, appetite, and heart rate. For Santos, the benefits are so significant that he may be able to be discharged sooner than expected.
In this hospital, Agadir was the first pet who was allowed to visit his Dad, but with how great the results were, we certainly hope it won’t be the last. Some may say that laughter is the best medicine, but it might actually be the undying, compassionate, unconditional love that a pup has for their family!
Images & Feature Image Source: Hospital Memorial São José