Adopting An Animal Can Improve Quality of Life
An increasing number of studies show that having a pet and in particular dogs means owners not only get a great companion but have an improved quality of life.
Dogs have a long history of making their owners feel good, and can have an extremely calming effect.
Peggy McCardle from the National Institute of Health says there is growing evidence that pets have psychological and physical health benefits.
According to research from the Baker Medical Research Institute in Melbourne, pet owners have a lower probability to developing heart disease and have lower cholesterol and blood pressure irrespective of income levels, body mass index or smoking habits.
In the past other studies have suggested that dogs are able to sniff out diseases ranging from certain types of cancer to diabetes related health problems.
Queens University in Belfast undertook a study of 138 pet owners with diabetes and found that two thirds of dogs experienced a behavioral reaction when their owners underwent a dangerous drop in blood sugar.
Pet therapy
Petting an animal has already been proven to help those fighting sickness or battling depression. Back in 2008 the American Heart Association undertook a study which found that senior citizens as well as patients who recently underwent surgery had faster recovery rates and responded better to treatment if they had contact with dogs.
“Pet therapy is a well received mode of helping many varied groups, for example hospitalized youth, elderly people and HIV-AIDS patients. Such benefits as decreased blood pressure, decreased heart rates and decreased feelings of neglect and hopelessness have all been well documented scientifically.” said Danny Joffe, a medical director at the Calgary Animal Referral and Emergency Centre in Alberta, Canada.
Mr. Joffe added that pet therapy can be successful when other types of therapy fail. One example he cited was of an elderly lady who had been institutionalized and had not spoken for many years. Despite many attempts by her hospice staff to get her to communicate, nothing seemed to work. After interaction with a canine therapy group visitation dog she spoke to her caregiver and said “very nice dog.”
University of Missouri-Columbia researchers undertook a study which suggests single adults and women are less likely to have to deal with depression when they own a dog. The study also suggested there is no downside to owning a dog because it did not add to the owners depression.
