Original Article: https://blog.theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/doctor-peyo-horse-comforts-cancer-patients/
When you think about special animals, your thoughts will likely turn to the pets that share your home. You might also think about service dogs, such as those who help people who are visually impaired or who alert individuals with diabetes or epilepsy that problems are on the horizon.
It seems as if you can add another animal to the mix, a horse.
“Doctor Peyo” is a horse that, at one time, used to compete in dressage events. From there, the horse is now making rounds at a local hospital in France and is helping sick people who are dying.
It happens at the Calais hospital, located in northern France. The horse goes from room to room and visits patients that are dying, providing them with comfort.
Perhaps the most interesting part about this is the fact that the horse makes the decision as to which patient he will visit.
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He is 15 years old, and it seems as if he has the ability to know when a patient has tumors or cancer. After being at the hospital, he will simply walk up to a room, lift his leg, and they know that it is time for him to go in and visit.
It isn’t just a matter of visiting those patients, there is some evidence that those who are visited by “Doctor Peyo” have to take fewer hard drugs and are able to die more peacefully than those who aren’t visited by the horse. They aren’t quite sure why that is the case, but scientists are looking into it.
The possibility for this horse taking part in the hospital activities came about when he was still doing dressage. At the events, he seemed to be drawn to people but there were certain people that he would approach and stick to closely.
His owner started to think that Peyo could detect when somebody was ill, and it seems as if that may be the case.
Since Peyo got started, he has helped about 1000 people at the hospital. He is now a very important part of the staff and is there for those who need him the most.
Source: The Animal Rescue Site Blog
