People, Pets and the Placebo Effect

A recent study looks at the psychological benefits of healing, especially when it comes to our pets. Researchers set out to determine if pet owners' unconscious observation bias could help to determine whether certain medications have positive effects.

For instance, when animals are recruited for clinical trials, many researchers must rely on pain medications and owner observation in order to determine whether the medication is working properly. In other words, human and animal behavior can affect the results of the study.

"In veterinary medicine, we're one step removed from the patient, and so we run into what we call the 'caregiver placebo effect,' which is how we refer to a number of factors that result in unconscious influence on owners' responses," said Margaret Gruen, NC State veterinary clinician and researcher, via a press release. "Merely observing behavior can change it, and any changes in daily routine, like administering medication, will affect the way you relate to that animal and change its behavior." This makes controlling for the placebo effect more difficult, and even the most sensitive detection techniques still have trouble distinguishing between the real and the placebo effect.

Specifically look at cats, researchers found that they can be notorious for their reluctance to take medicine. To study this animal's reaction to medication along with the attitude of its owner, lead study author Duncan Lascelles tested a low dose of a commonly used drug to manage degenerative joint disease in cats. He started by giving all of the trial participants an initial two-week placebo to get the animals used to taking medication, in which the owners were aware that the animals were also receiving a placebo. This was followed by a three-week trial in which half of the participants received the drug and half received the placebo.

"The final three-week period is where we were able to get real results about the usefulness of the medication," Gruen said, via the release. "During the three week medication trial, all of the owners indicated that their pets improved, which is due to the caregiver placebo effect. But during the washout phase, owners of the cats who had been receiving the medication in the first phase said that their pet's signs of pain were returning, while the owners of cats who had received placebo in the first phase did not notice any change.

"So we were able to circumvent the placebo effect and determine that this medication is effective in cats with degenerative joint disease," Gruen continues. "We understand that this approach will need further investigation, but we believe this design may be useful both in veterinary studies and in human studies where the placebo effect is particularly strong."

What do you think?

More information regarding the study can be found via the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine.