People With Pets Have Better Health

Sharing your life with pets can actually improve your health.

American Veterinary Medical Association shows the United States is a pet-loving nation, having more dogs and cats than any other country. Most pet owners treat their pet like any other member of the family. For the last 5 years of my dog, Tara's life I cooked for her. Much of what I cooked her was more nutritious than what I ate. She couldn't take care of herself so I did it for her. I kept her comfortable, well fed and safe.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), having a pet can decrease your:
Blood pressure
Cholesterol levels
Triglyceride levels
Feelings of loneliness


I've shared my life with dogs for over 45 years.
They have tested my patience, like when Scotty chewed my Oak coffee table, or Bob-Cat leaves hairballs for me to step on. Still I know that my pets give back much more than they receive in the form of companionship and love. My mother had a cat, GinGin that stayed on the bed with her till the very end. This little cat would not leave Mom's side.

After my mom died the dogs helped reduce my stress, loneliness and depression. I've seen the same things happen when Tara and I visited Nursing Homes. I could see how Tara raised resident's self-esteem, lowered anxiety levels and improved attitudes toward others. With these geriatric residents there was better communication with the staff and their family when Tara would visit. If we missed a visit the residents were sad but overjoyed to see us (Tara) on our next visit.

Pets and Your Heart

Not only do pets fill our hearts with love and joy they are also good for the health of our heart. Studies show that people who have had a heart attack survive longer with a pet than without.

Another study, by Karen Allen, PhD, a medical researcher at the University of Buffalo, involved 48 stockbrokers with high blood pressure. Those who shared their home with a cat or dog had lower blood pressure readings in stressful situations than those without.

Recovery After Illness

Other studies have found that people with pets tend to have a speedier, easier recovery after illness or surgery. One UK study of 50-60-year-old women recovering from breast cancer, for instance, found:
87 percent reported that their pets filled "at least one important role in their social support."
43 percent reported that their pets fulfilled more than 10 important support functions, such as being cared for, tactile comfort, and still feeling included socially, when they took their dog for a walk.

Kids and Pets

I have fond memories of my childhood dogs, and as it turns out, pets are just as good for kids as they are for the elderly and adults. One five-year study of 600 children aged 3-18 found that children with pets who are slow learners, or whose parents had divorced, had higher levels of self-esteem and better emotional functioning than those with no pet.

Children with autism and other learning and behavioral disabilities also often show immediate improvement when pets are brought into the classroom for animal-assisted therapy. Further, kids who have a cat or dog in the home during their first years of life are less likely to develop hay fever, asthma and animal-related allergies than those who don't.

Better Overall Health

Research presented at the 10th International Conference on Human Animal Interaction in October 2004 found that pet owners simply experience better health than non pet-owners. The survey of more than 11,000 Australians, Chinese and Germans found that over a five-year period:

Pet owners made 15-20 percent fewer annual visits to the doctor than non pet-owners.

Those who went to the doctor the least were those who continuously owned a pet.

The next healthiest group was people who got a pet during the study.

Though dogs and cats are most popular, any animal can improve your health--especially if you feel an attachment to it.

If you're still not convinced of the benefits of pet ownership, other studies have found these additional health improvements to pet owners:

Reduced depression
Less stress
Improved exercise habits
Better quality of life for those with Alzheimer's or orthopedic disorders

If you are considering sharing your home with a pet for your health, companionship, better exercise habits or because you want to make a difference in a pets life, please adopt from your local animal shelter. These animals do not understand why their life was turned upside down and deserve a good loving home.

Hug your dog or cat now, show them how much you love them.

Today is a very sad day for me. I just picked up my dogs ashes. Tara died 15 days after her 18th birthday. I know this little Sheltie added joy to my life for over 18 years. She will be missed so much and loved forever.

Tara brought so much joy to me, now I have to get over the heartache of not having her with me. See you at the Rainbow Bridge, my sweet Tara. You know we love you. You are a good girl and will always have that special place in my heart.

Related article...