Need A Little Help with Your Health? Get A Dog! Dogs are considered
man's best friend. But did you know that having a dog gives you
several health benefits?
In studies done by medical professionals, dog owners benefit from their pet's
presence in several ways:
1) Improved cardiovascular health - Dog owners have been proven to
have blood pressure and cholesterol lower than ordinary people. These
factors reduce the chance for cardiovascular diseases. Stroking a pet has
long been known to reduce blood pressure.
A study from the New York State University found that these benefits
continue even without the pet available. The study tested a group of
stockbrokers with hypertension. They concluded that just being a pet-owner
can lower blood pressure.
Dog owners also have blood cholesterol levels lower than normal. Five
thousand four hundred people were tested by the Baker Medical Research
Institute of Australia and with the results showing pet owners having not
just lower blood pressure but also lower levels of blood triglycerides and
cholesterol compared to people who didn't own any pets.
2) Faster recovery time and higher survival rates - Hospital studies
have found that seniors and recently operated on patients responded better
to treatment and got better quickly while they were in contact with dogs and
other therapy animals. Just petting a dog can be relaxing and therapeutic for
recovering patients.
Also, dog owners have a greater chance to survive after suffering from a
serious illness. Several studies have discovered that pet owners who
suffered from a heart attack were more likely to be alive a year after they
were discharged from the hospital than those who did not own pets.
Another New York study found that pets affected their survival rate more
even more than the presence or company of family members or friends.
