An ICU stay can be a source of intense stress and worry for a child.

Our task is to make treatment as pleasant as possible with music, stories, clowns, and…four-legged friends!

Canine doctors who help you feel better. They are little doses of calm, with no side effects…

Pet Therapy is an amazing “treatment” tool that our Pediatric ICU has been experimenting with for two years.

It’s a gentle remedy that accompanies and reinforces the treatment already underway.

Doctor Woof’s visits are a fantastic “surprise” for children: they banish thoughts of illness and reduce anxiety and fear.

Our friends are dogs under constant veterinary oversight and accompanied by expert canine educators, who accompany them on their visits.

Our four-legged friends come to visit in pairs, one large and one small, so children can choose whom they’d prefer to play with.

Doctor Woof elicits positive emotions.

Pet therapy confers psychological and emotional benefits not just to our young patients, but also to their parents who accompany them throughout the hospital stay.

The positive effect can be felt also by the department’s medical staff, doctors and nurses. It creates a climate of empathy and mutual trust, indispensable conditions for healing quickly and completely.

Everyone at Buzzi Hospital looks forward to visits from Doctor Woof!

The project consists of a weekly afternoon meeting in which two trained dogs, accompanied by canine experts, make visits to young hospitalized patients and their families for play.

* A special thanks to Duomo Milano Rotary Club, who supported the Doctor Woof project in 2018 and 2019.