LVPEI Monthly Note: Therapy Dogs | May 2026

News from our full member LV Prasad Eye Institute

This past Wednesday, something unusual happened at our Kallam Anji Reddy campus in Hyderabad. The campus’ pediatric cancer ward has over 10 beds and every bed was occupied by a child receiving chemotherapy for their eye cancer. All the kids were under 5, some mere infants, and their parents sat by them. The room was heavy with anxiety.

Four mini poodles–Espresso, Choco, Milo, and Peach–were led into the ward by their handler, and a couple of therapists and volunteers.

Almost instantly, there was a palpable shift in the mood. A look of wonder and joy lit up on the kids’ faces. The therapists gently guided the poodles from one child to another, encouraging the children to rub a poodle’s back. Tiny hands reached out hesitantly at first, and then with more confidence. Soon the room was filled with the kids’ toothy grins and delightful chatter. A nurse began to insert a fresh bottle of IV fluids into a child’s hand, while the poodle held his attention. For a few precious moments, fear gave way to wonder.

Later, the large, well-lit passageways of our Child Sight Institute outpatient department were agog with activity and excitement. Peals of laughter filled the corridors as young children, and their mildly anxious parents, stopped to pet Maggie, a golden retriever and therapy dog. Even our staff stepped away from their busy schedules to snuggle with the dogs, take a picture, and rush back in.

Some of us were in a corner, observing the patients interacting with the therapy dogs. A young colleague leaned over and exclaimed to his friend, “this can happen only at LVPEI!”

That day I remembered my own childhood experience of visits to the dental department of a major medical centre in Jaipur. I used to have sleepless nights before the visit. I would be very nervous in the hallways leading to the department and would often plead with my parents to not take me there. My father would do everything to comfort me, often pampering me with a softy after the visit. What could that department have done to help me feel better?

Right from inception, our founder envisioned L V Prasad Eye Institute as a place that would not feel anything like a conventional hospital. Our campuses would be sunny and pleasant. Our walls would be adorned with art, and the windows would open to a vista of trees and greenery. Patients would find succor, not just in the care we provide, but also by being in the space itself.

This philosophy to patient care is central to who we are and will continue to guide us.

What role do therapy dogs play in this context?

Research increasingly shows that interaction with animals can reduce stress and anxiety. Studies have found that petting a dog can lower cortisol levels, improve emotional well-being, and increase feelings of comfort and connection. Patients across the ages–from children to the elderly–have reported positive experiences with animal-assisted therapy.

Inspired by this evidence, my colleagues, Beula Christy (the Head of our Institute for Vision Rehabilitation) and PremNandhini Satgunam (Research Scientist, optometrist, and lead, ‘The Clinic for the Unknown’ at LVPEI) set out to to facilitate this pilot project along with Animal Angels, an NGO offering animal-assisted service programs in India. Together, for three days over three weeks, trained therapy dogs are visiting LVPEI’s pediatric, eye cancer, and vision rehabilitation centers offering comfort to our patients and their families.

LVPEI’s Banjara hills campus runs large-volume, busy outpatient clinics. Most of our patients come to us with complex and chronic problems. They need repeated tests and eye exams, spending hours walking in the corridors. The children with impaired vision, or even life-threatening conditions, are in distress and would rather be home. Many a time, entire families visit us, with the non-patient siblings tagging along. Our pediatric wards are bright and filled with toys and opportunity for play, but it is a clinic after all.

When the dogs entered these rooms, the atmosphere was transformed. These patients became kids again. They slowly stretched their tiny hands out to pet them. Brothers and sisters chattered away, shot selfies, and took turns nuzzling the dogs, while their relieved parents stepped in from time to time. For a brief while, the hospital felt less like a place of illness and more like a place of comfort and care.

Beyond Comfort

Dogs, depending on the context of care, have different roles and names in a clinical setting: comfort dog, therapy dog, or guide dog. Therapy dogs play an important rehabilitative role.

At the Institute for Vision Rehabilitation, Maggie, the golden retriever, made friends with the children visiting the Institute. She helped them participate in simple activities such as counting biscuits, and walking around the room together. Evidence suggests that animal-assisted therapy supports psychomotor and social development in children with special needs and makes therapy sessions more engaging and enjoyable. The experience reminded us of something profound about caregiving itself: therapy dogs offer companionship without judgment. They respond with patience, attentiveness, and unconditional warmth–qualities every healthcare professional strives to embody.

This pilot initiative also raises important questions for the future. How do we measure the impact? What are the safeguards needed? How can Indian institutions contribute meaningful research to this field? After all, most lessons in animal-assisted therapy are from the first world. But Beula asks some interesting questions: how do we measure the happy faces of the kids in the cancer ward? How to quantify the journey from fear and anxiety, to smile and cherishment?

And then, there is the final frontier: guide dogs that help our clients with blindness or low vision navigate India’s chaotic cityscapes. If anyone were to seek these answers, I am confident that LVPEI will play a key role in unravelling them.

After all, this can happen only at LVPEI.

-Prashant Garg

Date: 30 May 2026
Source: LV Prasad Eye Institute