Healing Power of Pets
Furry friends are good medicine for people.
By Jill Tyrer | Dec. 9, 2024
Anyone who has a dog knows that feeling of getting home to excited wiggles and whimpers. And if you walk your pup on a regular basis, you know their expectant look that forces you out the door for a walk in all kinds of weather.
It might seem like a chore — and sometimes it feels like it. But pet ownership and the added walking it can entail pays off as much for the human as their furry friend.
While the bond that humans have with their pets has many health and well-being benefits, people who live with arthritis should be aware that having a cat or dog comes with certain risks. Possible trips and falls can cause injuries, and walking a dog that pulls or yanks you off your feet at the sight of a squirrel can cause strains or worse. But with the proper precautions (and training), the benefits of having a pet can outweigh the risks.
Although research results are often mixed, years of studies show that pet ownership promotes both physical and mental health. Spending just 15 minutes with a therapy dog had a “significant and sustained” decrease in anxiety among emergency department patients as well as an overall reduction in pain and depression, according to one study.
Other studies have found that spending time with a pet can reduce blood pressure and boost serotonin. Older people who have a companion dog or cat have been found to have less cognitive decline as they aged than those without pets, according to another study. It also found that dog walking was associated with slower cognitive deterioration.
And if you walk your dog very often, you know that other people are more likely to strike up a conversation than when you don’t have your pooch with you. Research bears it out: Having a dog with you can social interactions.
Long-time dog owners generally are overall more physically active than those who aren’t, plus they are less likely to develop ailments like high blood pressure or arthritis. Regularly walking your dog also helps reduce cardiovascular risk — and helps manage arthritis symptoms and pain.
In fact, older adults who walk their dog walk 20 minutes more per day on average and are more likely to meet the recommended 30 minutes of exercise per day than non-dog walkers, according to another study. Research also has found an association between regularly walking one’s dog to lower body mass index, more exercise and fewer doctor visits than those who didn’t.
Dogs, however, get osteoarthritis, too. As they age, they typically become less active and walk less, which can cause their human to walk less, too, unless they plan a strategy to stay active.
Anyone who has a dog knows that feeling of getting home to excited wiggles and whimpers. And if you walk your pup on a regular basis, you know their expectant look that forces you out the door for a walk in all kinds of weather.
It might seem like a chore — and sometimes it feels like it. But pet ownership and the added walking it can entail pays off as much for the human as their furry friend.
While the bond that humans have with their pets has many health and well-being benefits, people who live with arthritis should be aware that having a cat or dog comes with certain risks. Possible trips and falls can cause injuries, and walking a dog that pulls or yanks you off your feet at the sight of a squirrel can cause strains or worse. But with the proper precautions (and training), the benefits of having a pet can outweigh the risks.Although research results are often mixed, years of studies show that pet ownership promotes both physical and mental health. Spending just 15 minutes with a therapy dog had a “significant and sustained” decrease in anxiety among emergency department patients as well as an overall reduction in pain and depression, according to one study.
Other studies have found that spending time with a pet can reduce blood pressure and boost serotonin. Older people who have a companion dog or cat have been found to have less cognitive decline as they aged than those without pets, according to another study. It also found that dog walking was associated with slower cognitive deterioration.
And if you walk your dog very often, you know that other people are more likely to strike up a conversation than when you don’t have your pooch with you. Research bears it out: Having a dog with you can social interactions.
Long-time dog owners generally are overall more physically active than those who aren’t, plus they are less likely to develop ailments like high blood pressure or arthritis. Regularly walking your dog also helps reduce cardiovascular risk — and helps manage arthritis symptoms and pain.
In fact, older adults who walk their dog walk 20 minutes more per day on average and are more likely to meet the recommended 30 minutes of exercise per day than non-dog walkers, according to another study. Research also has found an association between regularly walking one’s dog to lower body mass index, more exercise and fewer doctor visits than those who didn’t.
Dogs, however, get osteoarthritis, too. As they age, they typically become less active and walk less, which can cause their human to walk less, too, unless they plan a strategy to stay active.
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