Therapy donkeys are helping patients with mental health conditions recover in a psychiatric hospital unit outside Paris that's unique to France.
The 19th century farm buildings and wooded surroundings are a haven within the Ville-Evrard hospital complex in Neuilly-sur-Marne. On Friday, patients took the five donkeys for a walk and cared for them. Some confidently lifted their hooves to remove dirt. Many ended the session with a hug.
“When you take medication that helps you relax ... it’s exactly the same,” said Nathalie, a 60-year-old patient. She and others were identified by their first names only to protect their privacy.
“I’d call it animal medicine,” she said. “It brings relief. You stop thinking about everything else."
‘It helps you break away from the routine of treatment’
Patients attend the sessions free of charge as part of their treatment, which is funded by France’s public health system.
Participants are usually paired with a donkey — Nono, Pitou, Oscar, Manolo or Malraux. Over time, they become familiar with each other’s personalities.
Audrey Seffar, a nurse at the animal therapy unit, said Nathalie's progress after only a few sessions was significant.
“At first, she wouldn’t get out of the cart (provided for people with physical difficulties). But little by little, with encouragement, she did," Seffar said. "The animal serves as a mediator. It’s such an extraordinary one that today she was able to leave the cart and stand beside her donkey."
Another patient, Jérôme, 52, said the program helps reduce loneliness.
“Talking with people, taking part in activities I wouldn’t normally do, it helps me in my daily life,” he said.
He added: “It helps you break away from the routine of treatment and medication. Staying at home isn’t good for me.”
‘They’re emotional sponges’
The first donkeys arrived at Ville-Evrard hospital in 2016 as part of a project launched by Ermelinda and François Hadey.
Ermelinda, a nurse specializing in psychiatry, strongly believed in animal therapy benefits and thought donkeys, known for their calm and social nature, would be perfect. Her husband learned how to train donkeys for therapy work. Some of the animals were adopted through shelters after experiencing neglect or mistreatment.
“A donkey is very intelligent. It understands things very quickly, but you have to explain slowly,” François Hadey said. “Donkeys are calm, serene animals that are generally close to people. Once they’re involved in these interactions, they connect very well with patients. They’re emotional sponges.”
Since 2022, the animal therapy program has had official status as a health care unit in the hospital, allowing it to employ three full-time nurses. Volunteers with a nonprofit group help care for the animals.
The program has expanded to include guinea pigs, chickens, doves, goats, turtles and rabbits. Sessions are tailored to people’s needs and preferences, and smaller animals can be brought to hospital rooms.
Alicia Fabi, an 18-year-old nursing student, said the activity gives patients a chance to leave the hospital environment.
“Every time we come back from the activity, they say they feel good, calm and relaxed, and that they enjoyed the outing. That’s really positive,” she said.
Walking together also allows patients and health workers to develop a deeper relationship.
“We talk about many different things, their illness, their lives and just about everything else. We don’t focus only on the illness because we don’t want them dwelling on it all the time,” Fabi said.
They seek research into the benefits
Health workers say the sessions are designed as therapeutic interventions for living with anxiety, depression, autism, schizophrenia or other conditions. Staff said they can help improve emotional regulation, communication, social interaction and self-esteem.
“Everything we do with the animals allows us to work with the patient,” Ermelinda Hadey said. “We work on feeding the animal, which helps us address the patient’s own eating habits. We work on the animal’s hygiene, and by mirror effect, we work on the patient’s hygiene as well.”
Many patients take intensive treatments, including antipsychotic medications or sedatives, which can make it difficult to find the motivation to participate in activities, she said. That’s where the relationship to donkeys and other animals play a role, she stressed.
“It does not replace a doctor or a medical prescription, but it can help patients regain confidence and a sense of self-worth," Hadey said.
She said more scientific evaluation is needed. They would like animal therapy to be formally recognized by the psychiatric community as a complementary form of care.
“To do that, we need research. We have plenty of accounts from patients ... Caregivers who accompany them see the benefits every day as well. But doctors have so many other responsibilities that they don’t necessarily witness it firsthand,” she said.
At the end of Friday’s session, as patients chatted, a nurse summed up the program’s appeal: “Donkeys are my best colleagues.”
