One of the Family
Our pets can become like members of our family, allowing for feelings of love and emotional support. Bonding with pets can even release oxytocin in humans - a hormone and neurotransmitter associated with increased feelings of love and trust, and decreased feelings of anxiety and depression.
Emotional Support and Working Animals
Some working animal companions provide emotional support only. They are often allowed in public, private, and business situations that otherwise would not allow animals. They do not however get the same protection under the ADA that animals get who help handicapped humans.
Arguments are sometimes made that mental illness like anxiety is also a handicap, but for now it is not considered medically necessary to have an emotional support animal. A doctor can write a note declaring otherwise, which does allow for the animal to assist legally in some cases.
Dogs are the most common working animal to assist humans with special needs. Service dogs can be trained to perform a variety of tasks, and some can detect changes in human health like blood sugar in diabetic cases.
How Much We Care
Rising statistics taken from the New York Times stated 68% of American households owned pets, while spending $72.1 billion dollars on them. This includes veterinary care, over-the-counter medicine, food, and even Christmas presents. These stats do not include how much time, money, and energy we invest in working and/or service animals.
Here at Epsilon, our goal is to help you and your pet live the healthiest version of your lives together. We offer Chinese herbs, essential oils, and pain relief topicals to keep you feeling and moving your best. We also offer some herbs that animals can take including Yunnan Baiyao, which can ease symptoms of some animal cancers and potentially give you and yours more quality time together.