Can you believe it that dogs provide health benefits. Owning a dog or other pet in general can help you in different ways. Owning a pet can reduce doctor visits, improve mental wellness, improve cardiovascular health, and increase faster recovery from surgery in addition to higher survival rates. Recent studies state that dogs may be capable of identifying cancer on a person’s breath. Let’s look more into the health benefits of pet ownership.
Dog owners have lower cholesterol levels and blood pressure than people without dogs, which in return reduce the chance of developing cardiovascular diseases. Just patting a pet can reduce blood pressure. According to a University study, the benefits remain without your pet being around. Studies done by hospitals show that seniors and recent post-op people react better to treatment and recover quicker while in the presence of dogs or other therapy animals. Dog owners have a higher chance to survive a serious illness than people without dogs. Studies have shown that a pet affected a person’s survival rate more than the company of family members or friends. According to studies at Cambridge and UCLA there is a direct correlation between owning a pet and improved health that leads to less visits to your doctor. According to The Journal of American Geriatrics Society, pet ownership has a positive effect on a senior, emotionally and physically.
People that own pets have better health mentally and emotionally than people who do not own a pet. Pets offer affection and unconditional love and their presence assists in reducing loneliness. A pet can offer friendship and some safety for disabled or handicapped people. Dogs are used as companions for the blind and disabled. Dogs are also used as a form of therapy in nursing homes and hospices. Studies state that people suffering from a major illness fight the stress from having the sickness much better by having a pet dog.
Studies state that certain cancers may be identified through people breaths by using dogs. Researchers presented the dogs to samples of the breath from people with cancer of the lungs and breast and samples from healthy people. The researchers mentioned that the dogs identified cancer with accuracy and good results. The dogs identified 99 percent lung cancer breath samples, which included early stage cancer patients and 88 percent breast cancer samples. Experts state this has promise, but further research must be done.
Owning a pet or having a dog has many benefits. A pet reduce stress levels, increase self-confidence and self-esteem, inspires social interaction and exercise. You should invest in a pet because of the health benefits and joy a pet can bring into your life.
Top photo credit: Dog Fun by Garden State Hiker
In text photo credit: Pets of Patriots by The U.S. Army