When it comes to mental and emotional health, more and more people are dealing with the stress of life in a surprising way – adopting an emotional support animal (ESA). These animals can be anything from a standard feline or canine companion to horses and pigs. If you’re considering an emotional support animal to help you feel less anxious and less stressed, here are two major elements to consider.

Insurance

Not only will you need to look into vet health insurance for your pet to offset potentially astronomical care costs, but if you have a larger animal such as a horse as your emotional support pet, you may also need to look into canine or equine liability insurance. While all pet care costs can be a challenge, preparing ahead of time can help you if something happens, such as unintentional injury to you or another person. Life insurance on expensive animals can also be an important opportunity for you to protect yourself in case of an emergency.

Certification

While all pets can be considered supportive companions for their owners, there are special benefits to ESA certification for your pets. Whether you’re renting an apartment or flying on a plane, federal regulations make it easier for certified ESAs to travel or live with their owners, even if they are areas you typically wouldn’t be able to take a pet. If you’re going to need Fido to fly with you on a plane, you’re going to need certification, which can sometimes be rather pricey and are certainly heavily regulated. A licensed mental health professional will need to sign off on the certification before you’re cleared, so you may need to think carefully about whether you’re willing to go all the way to get registered.

Overall, if you feel like your mental or emotional health would significantly improve with an emotional support animal as your constant companion, you should look into the process. When it comes to your health and wellbeing, ESAs can make a therapeutic difference to those with high anxiety and mental health needs.