“Doctor Peyo”: The horse that comforts cancer patients in Calais – in pictures

“Doctor Peyo”: The horse that comforts cancer patients in Calais – in pictures

At the palliative care center of the hospital in Calais, northern France, Marion, 24, who has metastatic cancer, hugs her 7-year-old son Ethan, while Peyo hugs them.

With Peyo, we try to recreate life at the end of life, fighting and generating energy to support families and caregivers,” says his coach, Hassen Bouchakour.

Peyo and Bouchakour work with the therapeutic organization Les Sabots du Coeur and with scientists studying Peyo’s ability to reduce patients’ anxiety and comfort those in pain.

At the hospital, Peyo tells his trainer which room he wants to enter by stopping or lifting his paw. Peyo is 15 years old and seems to be able to recognize when people have cancer and tumors. He stayed there for almost two hours, watching over the dying woman.

“I accompany him, but I let him do what he wants; he’s the one who decides,” says Bouchakour. “What really sparked the scientists’ interest and opened the doors to the medical facility for us was his [apparent] ability to significantly reduce the doses of all the patients’ hard drugs, allowing them a more peaceful exit,” he says.

Hassen Bouchakour prepares Peyo for a new day at the Calais hospital. “Peyo’s nickname, given to him by the medical team, is Doctor Peyo,” says the trainer. Both have long been known for their participation in equestrian competitions.

Peyo constantly sought out human contact. After competitions, he would pick people out of the crowd, approach them, and stay by their side.

Bouchakour began to suspect that Peyo was selecting people who were morally, physically, or psychologically weak. After four years of research, veterinary specialists believe that Peyo’s brain works in a unique way.

At the Calais hospital, Marion caresses Peyo as the medical team helps her with the pain of metastatic cancer.

Peyo and Bouchakour are her allies, she says, and visit her almost daily. “Hassen and Peyo are part of the team; they’re good not only for the patients, but also for us.

“When things get tough, we’re glad to have them there,” says Anne Sophie, a nurse at the hospice.

Outside, in the Calais hospital parking lot, Hassen Bouchakour and “Doctor Peyo” finish their workday. “Since 2016, we’ve supported around 1,000 people until their last breath through the various services we manage. Peyo is my soulmate, my life partner; he means everything to me,” says Bouchakour.

Nine-year-old Isaac is proud to show his new friend Peyo to his mother, who is recovering from surgery. “Isaac associates the hospital with Peyo. If he likes coming to the hospital today to see his mother, it’s because of this horse,” says his father, Thomas.

Peyo licks the hands of 64-year-old Roger, who has just returned to the palliative care unit for a day for a blood transfusion. Roger is happy to see his “favorite doctor” again. “He’ll sleep well tonight because he saw Peyo. As soon as he sees him, he sleeps like a baby,” says his wife.

In the parking lot of the Calais hospital, Peyo and Bouchakour escort Roger to the ambulance that will take him home after treatment. Specialists are still trying to better understand Peyo’s seemingly instinctive ability to comfort the sick.

Peyo stands guard at the patient door while Bouchakour speaks with the medical team. “Hassen and Peyo don’t just comfort the patients, they comfort us too. We love seeing them in difficult situations,” says Nathalie, a nurse at the center.