Health Benefits of Pets, according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC)

Most households in the United States have at least one pet. Why do people have pets? There are many reasons. Some of the health benefits of pets are listed below.

Pets can decrease your:

Blood pressure
Cholesterol levels
Triglyceride levels
Feelings of loneliness

Pets can increase your:

Opportunities for exercise and outdoor activities
Opportunities for socialization

http://www.cdc.gov/healthypets/health_benefits.htm

Summary of Health Benefits:

http://petprojectforpets.org/documents/healthbenefits.html

Research about Pets and the Elderly from The Pets for the Elderly Foundation   

Dr. Jon at www.petplace.com says, "Think of all the things our best friend does for us – provide therapy, guide the blind, protect and serve those in law enforcement and the military, search for our missing loved ones, alert us to bombs, guard our homes, detect our cancer... provide unconditional love. Such an incredible creature." (reference Cancer-Detecting Canines)

Why Medication is NOT the Only Answer to Treating Mental Illness

more health articles

Interaction with pets may minimize or even reverse some of the damaging cell changes that occur naturally with aging. According to Rebecca Johnson, a professor of gerontological nursing at the University of Missouri at Columbia, levels of endorphins, serotonin and prolactin — substances that can enhance feelings of well-being — increased in study participants during interaction [with pets], while cortisol levels (stress hormones) decreased. "If part of natural aging is cell changes as the result of biochemical stressors," says Johnson, "we're looking to minimize the damage by increasing the output of good hormones through something as simple as exposure to an animal."  See Animal Attraction to read more.

"Owning a pet reduces the number of visits to the doctor, prolongs survival after a heart attack, and wards off depression, says James Serpell, Ph.D., director of the Center for the Interaction of Animals and Society at the University of Pennsylvania. His family has a cat, a dog, a large green iguana, a bearded dragon, and a dozen fish. Pet ownership also protects against a major problem of aging: high blood pressure. In one standout study at State University of New York, Buffalo, stockbrokers with high blood pressure adopted a pet. When they were faced with mental stress, their BP increased less than half as much as in their counterparts without animal pals."  from Prevention's Anti-Aging Guide: How To Take Off 10 Years Or More by Andreas Von Bubnoff and Joanna Lloyd, 2006.

Pet lovers may find solace in this world of terrorism, global warming, hurricanes, high gas prices and mass murder.   Pets give us something pleasant to talk about. Certainly they give us much unconditional love, as does my black Labrador mix female dog... She gives a lot of love in addition to much protection. Her eyes tell all.-- Marlene Gantt, Quad Cities Online

He is full of love...

"...the increase in people caring so much about pets is a reaction to 9/11. Pets provide company, calm, and comfort in troubling times."
-- Bob Vetere, the president of the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association

What are pets for? by Bonnie Chandler

It's well-accepted dogma that pets offer their owners a therapeutic release; a pet can give a person's life purpose and meaning, especially after a loss. But scientists are building on the evidence that pets may also offer their owners significant health benefits and may even add years to a person's life. . .

In 1990 researchers at UCLA found that pets could help
reduce the amount of time you spend at the doctor's office.
In a study of people 65 and older with pets, researchers saw that the
subjects visited the doctor 16% less than petless participants.

"The societal implications of pets as health enhancers for people 50 and older are critical," says 
Alan Beck, director of the Human-Animal Bond at Purdue University. "If exposure to companion animals
reduces the number of doctor visits, if it allows people to live independently, if it improves morale and
allows them to handle stress better, then pets are a legitimate strategy for survival."
See Animal Attraction to read more.

 "The Eden Alternative is dedicated to improving the lives of Elders and those who care for them by transforming the communities in which they live and work. We fight against the plague of loneliness, helplessness, and boredom. These are plagues of the human spirit, not the human body, but they are just as devastating and just as deadly as any disease of the human body. We support the value of live-in companion animals as a possible antidote to these plagues. There is nothing that the medical model has to ease the suffering from Loneliness, helplessness, or boredom. But a pet companion can help with all three by providing an opportunity for companionship ( the antidote to loneliness), and opportunity to give care ( the antidote for helplessness), and an opportunity for variety and spontaneity in the elder's daily life ( the antidote to boredom).

There is much research that proves the value of the human-animal bond to the well-being of the Elder. A community that values its Elders, would work hard to combat the plagues of the human spirit and would support their right to animal companionship.

Check out this website for one reference - http://www.deltasociety.org/download/Health%20Benefits.pdf" -- Nancy Fox Executive Director

 

"The profound satisfaction of living with a dog and the therapeutic qualities of their mere presence has been demonstrated in many stories of peoples’ experiences as well as clinical studies. A number of well known studies have shown that petting a dog, in some cases, even being in the same room as a dog, has a calming effect on people, reducing blood pressure and heart rate. But there is also something psychically healing about being with dogs, and you don’t have to be ill, confined, or imprisoned to appreciate the effect."  in A History of Pet Therapy and The Value of Animal Companionship.

Benefits of Pet Therapy for Sick People

Can a Pet Ease Depression?

Interacting with "therapy pets" can be as stimulating and rewarding for owners as for patients.
Sometimes Everybody Needs a Little Therapy...Pet

quote from "Fall Guy" by Carol Lea Benjamin, where the main character is a dog trainer/private investigator whose sidekick is her pit bull named "Dashiell": "He [Brody, a cop] was looking at Dashiell again. "You said you'd been a dog trainer?" "That's right." "So you taught Dashiell how to do pet therapy?" "No, he didn't need me for that." Brody raised his eyebrows. "It's innate. All predators know how to tell the weak from the strong. For the wild ones, once they do..." I drew my pointer across my throat. "That's how they survive." "Sounds like the predators I deal with." "Except that domesticated predators, like dogs, don't think of humans as prey." "How do they think of us?" "As family. So when we're hurting or in trouble, they don't have us for lunch. They nurture us." Brody looked at Dashiell. "All I had to do was teach Dash manners so that when he goes to a nursing home ..., he behaves appropriately."

"As a health care professional, I can attest to the emotional, physical, and spiritual benefits of pet ownership by all ages of the population.  The evidence is well documented in scientific literature. Even Long-Term Care Facilities are now bringing in pets as part of pet therapy programming." --William P. Bryan, R.N., Ph.D. , Florida  

The official AARP (American Association of Retired Person) position on pets states:

    "...older people who have a pet live longer, go to the doctors less often, recover more quickly from illnesses,
and have a more positive outlook than those who do not have a pet. 
Further, expanding the right to have pets increases the stock of housing that pet owners may choose from."

According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), here are some reasons to adopt a senior pet:

1) What You See is What You Get: With adopted older dogs or cats you will usually know about any behavior challenges or health considerations before you adopt. In other words, there should be no surprises.

2) Previous Training: Adult animals often already know how to live harmoniously with humans. In general, adult dogs and cats require far less supervision and less constant care, which can make them ideal companions for people with busy lives. They are already litter box or house trained. An older dog might also have some obedience training.

3) Matching Lifestyles: An adult animal’s relatively calm demeanor and less intense exercise needs make them the perfect match for an older person seeking friendship and love and in a full-time working household. They often make excellent companions for other animals.

Letter to the editor of the San Francisco Chronicle on 12/23/2005 underscores
the comfort that animal companions can provide.

There is a growing trend to take pets to work. 
See Companies Go Pet Friendly

A study by the US Department of Health concluded that having a pet increased the survival rate of heart attack victims - 28% of heart patients who spent time with pets survived serious heart attacks, compared to 6% of patients without.  Another study revealed that the cholesterol levels of pet owners were 2% lower than the cholesterol levels of people without pets and the risk of those pet owners having a heart attack was reduced by 4%. Owning a pet can also reduce blood pressure and a US survey of 1,000 Medicare patients showed that there was a 40% decrease in doctor visits for those with animal companions.   (source http://www.seniordiscounts.com/)

Interacting and petting animals creates a hormonal response in humans that can help fight depression.

For seniors, pets are more than pretty faces

Pet Doors Opening at Assisted Living Centers 

HSUS, the Humane Society of the United States, has a lot to say about how pets are beneficial to people, especially to seniors:  "How Pets Help People"

Jim Miller, the Savvy Senior says, "Studies have shown that pet owners make fewer doctor visits, have shorter hospital stays and take less medication than people who don't own pets.

Pets can boost our spirits, encourage exercise and socialization and can even help prevent and relieve numerous medical conditions like cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, arthritis, cancer, Alzheimer's disease and depression.  (quoted in http://www.normantranscript.com/features/local_story_058001607)

Cancer survivor Gill Lacey, who was featured on CBS's 60 Minutes, was saved by her Dalmatian, Trudi. Trudi began sniffing a tiny mole on Gill's leg. That mole was a malignant melanoma.

This was so interesting that I asked one of our writers to research and write a story on how dogs can really detect cancer in people.

So...take a minute and read: The Dog's Nose Knows: Cancer-Detecting Canines. Go to petplace.com/dogs/cancer-detecting-canines/page1.aspx.

Pets are More Than Best Friends

Ivanhoe Newswire

A new study shows pets may provide more support than your spouse or best friend when it comes to de-stressing. Researchers say spending time with a pet may do more to help an individual's stress level than talking to close friends and family members.

Researchers studied the responses of 240 married couples who either had one pet or who had a pet in the past five years. Of the half who did not have a pet, they each individually enlisted a same sex friend to partake in the study. Participants were exposed to mental arithmetic problems and asked to place a hand in ice water in order to test stress responses. The heart rate, blood pressure and number of correct answers to the math problems were measured as well. The tests were conducted in four environments. The participants were tested alone, with the presence of the spouse, with either the pet or friend, and with the spouse and pet or friend.

The participants who owned pets had decreased heart rates and blood pressure and made fewer arithmetic mistakes over those who did not own pets. Surprisingly, participants who were tested with their spouse alone had the most arithmetic mistakes.

Lead author of the study, Karen Allen, Ph. D., of the State University of New York at Buffalo, says, "While the idea of a pet as social support may appear to some as a peculiar notion, our participants' responses to stress, combined with their descriptions of the meaning of pets in their lives, suggest to us that social support can indeed cross species." She also added, "The findings demonstrated that pets can buffer reactivity to acute stress as well as diminish perceptions of stress."

SOURCE: Psychosomatic Medicine, 2002;64:740-747

Last Updated: September 25, 2002

Stressed to the Hilt? Try the Furry Form of Valium

“The presence of an emotional support animal in one’s life can be an exceptional healing agent for mind/body/spirit infirmities as well as a catalyst for helping to promote wellbeing and quality of life.” - KC Kelly, Ph.D., LMHC

See Dr. Kelly's article on "The Therapeutic Effects of Emotional Support Animals"

"The love between dog and man is idyllic. 
It knows no conflicts, no hair-raising scenes; it knows no development."
-  “The Unbearable Lightness of Being” by  Milan Kundera.

"...Psychologist Dr. Herb Nieburg says though not everyone understands it, the bond people form with their pets is very real.

Al Roker: “What's this love affair that we have with pets all about?”

Dr. Herb Nieburg: “Pets serve so many purposes for us. Unconditional love, playmates, protection, security, filling the empty nest. Plus they're furry, they're cute, they're warm. We respond to that..." Read the entire article

"Westminster Kennel Club, with partner Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital, created a life-affirming endeavor proven to reduce stress on patients and family.  Scientific studies have shown that four legs and a wagging tail provides benefits that range from smiles, giggles, improved conversation and most important, motivation to remain pawsitive.  Using our bow-lingual abilities and nose-nudging techniques we find a way into everyone’s hearts including the all important hospital staff." -- Yvonne Conza, WOOF Patrol

Companion animals do NOT need specialized training to work with their own guardians at home.  Just being there to cuddle and pet is enough.  They do not need to sit still (and not scare a stranger).  Your own companion animal can ease emotional symptoms as you watch them frolic and play.  Pets have been shown, over and over, to provide natural relief for many kinds of emotional disabilities.

"...cats of all kinds possess exceptional healing ability related to the purring sounds they make, a part of their adaptation from which we might learn.  Physiology studies praise cats purring as they make their sounds both when in great danger or comfortably sitting on laps, that they purr even after being rolled over by cars or falling from enormous heights.  Scientists working together as a consortium now tell us cats' beneficial vibrations fall into a range between 20-5--120 hz, working to short circuit various dis-ease states.  Research says "exposure to frequencies (purring) that occurs between 2- & 50 hz creates rigorous striations of increased bone density.  Not only this but the vibratory harmonics of cat species have been found to repair tendons as well as the frequencies of therapeutic pain relief, present within these ranges."  (Fauna Communications, Bruel & Kiaer).  from "Energy Exercise - Chi Kung, Cats and A Fourth State of Matter" by Mark Fairchild LMT CST QGI, in Natural Awakenings magazine, April 2006.  

One of Nancy Schneiderman, MD's recommendations for pain reduction: "get a pet." Today Show (NBC), 11/9/07

The Truth About Cats and Dogs

Pets Better Than Friends, Spouses at De-Stressing Their Owners.    Read for yourself.

Can those with psychiatric disorders such as bipolar disorder or depression benefit from interaction with animals?
The answer is a resounding, “YES!”
Service Dogs for Bipolar Disorder

Even Homeless shelters must lodge pets for patients with behavioral health problems - so why not condos?

Animal Assisted Therapy and Heart Failure

November 20, 2005 - A novel study, presented last week at an American Heart Association meeting, is one of the first to use scientific measurements to document that therapeutic dogs lower anxiety, stress, and heart and lung pressure among patients with heart failure. 
source:  http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/1120dog-therapy200.html

"Research tells us that people are lonelier than ever before. People's interaction with dogs and cats has taken on a bigger and fuller compensatory role in our lives. Owners often have a different relationship with their pet than with their parents, spouse or even their children. Studies have found that the special bond between owners and their pets influence consumer purchase choices." - Jon Bond, advertising legend.

This might be the "link" to why pets help lower blood pressure:

Loneliness Linked to Stroke, High Blood Pressure (Eurekalert)
In a recent study of aging adults, loneliness was linked to health risks. More
(source Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health)

Many groups support the health benefits of pet ownership. You can learn more about the health benefits of pets and how to keep your pets healthy by visiting the following sites.

The Human Animal Bond and its importance to client and community health - position of the American Veterinary Medical Association

The Delta Society provides abstracts, articles, and bibliographies on the health benefits of animals to people.

(Check www.deltasociety.org or the links page to find a local Delta evaluator.)