Comments on: Can a Doctor Perscribe a Pet for my son with ADHD?

By: AleksMama

AleksMama — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 20:29:32 +0000

You could ask your doctor to perscribe the Dog, along with a note explaining the reasoning. Give it to your landlord and tell him/her your son has a disability and your doctor thinks having a dog will help. Be willing to offer them a decent deposit (maybe more than you feel is reasonable) and an enrollement form showing that you will enroll the dog in obdience school and give them the certificate of completion. In the end, pretty much the worst he or she will say is No. (Or maybe No Way.) Then, if you still wanted the dog, you could look for a place that will allow dogs. But it wouldn't hurt to at least try.
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By: Kimmy Kandde

Kimmy Kandde — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 15:33:29 +0000

Maybe they can prescribe pet therapy but I doubt any doctor would prescribe a dog for your household.
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By: Froggie

Froggie — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 13:35:17 +0000

Ask your doctor if he/she will write a note that says that it would be helpful for your son to have a dog.
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By: Serinity4u2find

Serinity4u2find — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 13:30:39 +0000

Yes, doctors can prescribe pets for therapeutic reasons. They don't actually give you a pet they write a note that says you need to have a pet and why. Your doctor will probably had his nurse write a short letter explaining the reason for the prescription. I went to college with a lady that has a cat. Her landlord wouldn't let her have a pet so she got a note from her doctor saying she needed the cat for therapy reasons. So the landlord had to allow the cat.
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By: Mandy S

Mandy S — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 13:09:40 +0000

Your doctor could suggest it as a change in lifestyle, but no, your doctor can't really "prescribe" a pet.

"Prescriptions" are usually things actually governed by the FDA.

If you feel this way about it, though, you may have to move. While your landlord would probably have to make exceptions for specially trained dogs used to help with the immediate day-to-day needs and safety of people with disabilities (for example, seeing-eye dogs, or dogs specially trained to help epilepsy patients), since your son is able to function without the dog, I don't think your landlord would have to change policy.
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