Companion animals: social support for orthopedic clients.

Various definitions, conceptualizations, and measurements of social support exist in literature. Consistently among these variations, the focus is on people. Companion animals are not included; however, reviews of both social support literature and human-animal bond literature shows that the two share a number of common functions. Using two case studies, the author demonstrates that the social support of companion animals is a legitimate and relevant source of support for persons with orthopedic disorders.