Can My Doctor Prescribe A Service Dog

A mutual question that I've been getting lately is nigh the types of doctors who can write a prescription or doctor's annotation for a service dog. People aren't sure who to ask for their prescription, though they really would like to get started on their journey with a service canis familiaris.

Which Doctors Can Give a Service Domestic dog Prescription?

The answer to this is fairly simple. Any doctor that is treating your disability, who is legally licensed, tin write you a doctor'southward annotation for a service canis familiaris. Let'south go over what that means for different types of disabilities:

Feet, Depression, PTSD, OCD and other mental illnesses: This might be a family doctor, psychiatrist, psychologist, therapist, licensed clinical social worker (LCSW), licensed professional person counselor (LPC), mental health advisor, certified alcohol and drug abuse counselor, nurse psychotherapist, vocational example manager or a marital and family therapist.

Seizures, mobility issues, MS, diabetes and other physical illnesses:This might be a family doctor, physical therapist, neurologist, endocrinologist, opthalmologist or other specialists, as well as the doctors listed for mental illnesses.

What Should the Prescription Say?

Your dr.'southward service dog prescription needs to be specific to be accustomed by landlords and airlines.

It volition demand to be on your doc'due south "letterhead." This means it needs to requite your doctor's information.

The letterhead should have:

The physician's proper name with any "attachments" (for case, Dr. John Smith, Thou.D. or Sarah Smith, LCSW)
The clinic accost
The dispensary phone number

The letter body should include:

A date within the last year (Airlines require that it be dated within the concluding 12 months)
A argument that yous accept a physical or mental inability.
A argument that having the domestic dog with you is necessary to your mental or physical health, or your treatment, or to assist you with your disability.
That you lot are under the care of the person writing the note and that the person writing the notation is a licensed medical professional. (This includes the dr.'s licensing information: the date it was issued, what state/jurisdiction it was given in and what license information technology is.)

Pretty elementary! Apply this template to create your own doc'southward notation for a service canis familiaris for your next checkup and yous should be all set.