Can Any Animal Be an Emotional Support Animal?

When a person has a mental image of a service animal in their head, they likely picture a diligent golden labrador with a vest and a purpose. This assumption isn’t necessarily an incorrect thought, as labradors have become one of the more reliable pets a person can use to aid their life.

However, there are several variations of service animals, and emotional support animals come with even more options outside of dogs.

Emotional support animals are an incredible aid for people with mental conditions that make their daily lives more difficult than they would prefer. To give a more comprehensive look at what four-legged friends can benefit a person, we will review what can be an emotional support animal.

What Is an Emotional Support Animal?

Emotional support animals (ESA) are dogs, cats, or other domesticated animals that can improve affected people’s mental health and emotional stability. Common conditions that benefit from emotional support animals include anxiety, depression, PTSD, and many more. Contrary to popular belief, emotional support animals are not limited exclusively to canines.

Emotional support animals do not work in the same way as service animals. Service dogs must undergo specific training by professionals to be certified as service animals, while emotional support animals have significantly less. An emotional support animal is not classified as a service dog, though it can benefit people needing a caring companion.

They can also be any easily domesticated animal and do not have to be a canine or feline. To be eligible to receive an emotional support animal, a person must reach out to a licensed mental health expert and see if an accompanying animal would be a good fit.

Benefits of an Emotional Support Animal

While some critics may speak of emotional support animals as unnecessary or placebo fixes, that would be provably incorrect. According to recent studies, scientists have definitively proven what humans have known all along – having a pet really can turn a day around.

Pros:

• Proven to help increase positive feelings.
• Can minimize feelings of isolation
• It can help a person work through fears
• Great for keeping people on a schedule.

Cons:

• Animals are a considerable expense
• All animals require sincere and diligent care
• Not as well-trained as service animals

Emotional support animals can help people dealing with prolonged loneliness or feelings of isolation and can calm down an owner after they return from a particularly stressful day. They help with previously discussed mental conditions like anxiety while also being calming to those who are feeling the impending grip of a panic attack.

Some of the more traditional emotional support animals can help ensure that a person sticks to routine and gets out of the house, which can both help improve a person’s emotional stability. Using animals while utilizing other mental health tools like therapy or even meditation can be a useful two-pronged solution.

However, They will require some work on the owner’s part. People will need to ensure they give their animals as much exercise as the breed or species requires while feeding them and providing water to their pets. For those who struggle to get out of bed some days when depression gets unusually rough, this can be a difficult thing to maintain.

Similarly, the cost of owning an animal is not always cheap, and vet visits and specific diet requirements can really be felt in a person’s wallet. So, while having an emotional support animal is a good idea, it is also a notable responsibility that folks need to prepare for ahead of time.

Summarizing Animals That Can Be Emotional Support Animals

Any pet can become an emotional support animal if it has proper ESA certification from a  licensed mental health professional. Certain animals (such as dogs, cats, etc.) may perform better than your favorite iguana, though they can still serve a calming role in your home and life.

For those getting a pet for the first time, they should make sure they are prepared for the daily responsibility that comes with owning animals. Similarly, they should ensure they can afford the heavy costs that sometimes come with bringing a fuzzy friend into their home.