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.

When people stroke or caress pets, the central nervous syutem releases "feel-good" hormones such as dopamine, endorphine and especially oxytocin, which promotes calm and warmth, according to South African veterinary professor Jonennes Odendaal, author of "Pets and Our Mental Health: The Why, the What, and the How." His research into the healing poswers of animals also shows that, when feel-good chemical rise, the stress hormone cortisol also decreases.

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

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  

See YouTube video of visiting pet friends in action

"Can those with psychiatric disorders such as bipolar disorder or depression benefit from interaction with animals? The answer is a resounding, “YES!” “There are an increasing number of dogs being trained to assist individuals with a range of disabilities, including seizure disorders, Parkinson's disease, heart disease, and psychiatric disorders” (Sachs-Ericsson et al, 2002). Not only can those with bipolar disorder benefit from the love of and for a pet, but they are also permitted under the Americans with Disabilities Act to employ the assistance of a service dog."
- from Service Dogs for Bipolar Disorder by Kimberly Read & Marcia Purse

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."

Dogs for the Aged

"Studies have shown that Alzheimer's patients have fewer anxious outbursts if there is an animal in the home," says Lynette Hart, PhD, associate professor at the University of California at Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.

"Their caregivers also feel less burdened when there is a pet, particularly if it is a cat, which generally requires less care than a dog," says Hart.

Walking a dog or just caring for a pet—for elderly people who are able—can provide exercise and companionship. One insurance company, Midland Life Insurance Company of Columbus, Ohio, asks clients over age 75 if they have a pet as part of their medical screening—which often helps tip the scales in their favor. 
(source: The Benefits of Furry Friends, p. 3)



The Purina Pets for Seniors program helps to cover the cost of adoption fees and provides product information‚ coupons‚ and a pet care booklet. Why do they do this? Because, they say, "Studies have shown that pet companionship may actually help improve senior citizen health and outlook on life." More info.

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

The Obama's Dog Bo

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.

A study, published in Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention, found that keeping animals can cut the risk of developing the relatively common cancer of the immune system, non-Hodgkins lymphoma, by almost one third.
(reference - Pet Theories)

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

Vivi De Armas, PhD Clinical Psychologist, says that "...pets help us because what they offer is unconditional love."

The Westminster Kennel Club states that their partnership with Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital is "affirmation of our belief that our dogs make our lives happier and healthier, something that we have been showing the world for more than 125 years."

"...The domestic house cat purrs in the range of 25 and 50 Hz: the exact range associated with healing properties such as increased bone density.

Maybe this has something to do with a cat’s uncanny ability to “heal by association”. Perhaps purring is part of the reason why, when we fall ill, having a cat sit on our laps can actually make us feel better. Whether it is simply the comfort of having a friend nearby, or whether it’s the vibrational frequencies of your kitty’s rumble, the joy of a cat purring on your lap is priceless. " -- Why Do Cats Purr?, Dr. Jane Bicks, DVM

Depressed?  Befriend a pet. Having a pet cat, dog, unicorn or whatever is wonderfully therapeutic. You have someone to talk to, someone who will listen to your every word, someone to provide you with unconditional love...and a pet is cheaper than a therapist.

In Good Company Some seniors find themselves facing loneliness as they get older. Adopting a pet, particularly an older animal, is one way to cope with isolation and help soothe the heart, body and mind. more>>

"A brisk 10-minute walk with your dog twice a day get you two-thirds of the way to accumulating 30 minutes or more of exercise a day."
(picture and quote from Publix "Greenwise")

zoopharmacology - watch this 1-hour TV program on animal's natural instincts in healing - Animals Like Us - Medicine

Pet Therapy

Research has shown that heart attack victims who have pets live longer. Even watching a tank full of tropical fish may lower blood pressure, at least temporarily. A study of 92 patients hospitalized in coronary care units for angina or heart attack found that those who owned pets were more likely to be alive a year later than those who did not. The study found that only 6 percent of patients who owned pets died within one year compared with 28 percent of those who did not own pets.

The therapeutic use of pets as companions has gained increasing attention in recent years for a wide variety of patients -people with AIDS or cancer, the elderly, and the mentally ill. Unlike people, with whom our interactions may be quite complex and unpredictable, animals provide a constant source of comfort and focus for attention. Animals bring out our nurturing instinct. They also make us feel safe and unconditionally accepted. We can just be ourselves around our pets.

from http://www.holistic-online.com/stress/stress_pet-therapy.htm

This article has a history about using pet therapy for terminal cancer patients:  "Pet Therapy With Terminal Cancer Patients" by Irene Jeanette Muschel, Social Casework:  The Journal of Contemporary Social Work, 1984, pages 451-458.

Furthermore, "physiological tests have shown that stroking and petting animals can improve general health, lower blood pressure, reduce anxiety and produce a reduction in stress levels." 
http://www.holistic-online.com/Remedies/Diabetes/diabetes_pet-therapy.htm
The Pet Project
"Keeping the Bond"
For people living with a terminal disease, their pets may be the only fried that they have left.
http://www.PetProjectforPets.org

Creature Comfort

A practitioner using animal-assisted therapy achieves encouraging results with young and old alike.

Click here to view the entire article.
(Thanks to Steve Roen for this article.)

Stories abound about animals who sense when something is wrong and save lives.  Here is one Story of a Cat Hero.

Animal Healers

Canine Fix for Seniors' Loneliness

Recommended Reading

I rescued a human today.

Her eyes met mine as she walked down the corridor peering apprehensively into the kennels. I felt her need instantly and knew I had to help her. I wagged my tail, not too exuberantly, so she wouldn't be afraid. As she stopped at my kennel I blocked her view from a little accident I had in the back of my cage. I didn't want her to know that I hadn't been walked today. Sometimes the shelter keepers get too busy and I didn't want her to think poorly of them.

As she read my kennel card I hoped that she wouldn't feel sad about my past. I only have the future to look forward to and want to make a difference in someone's life. She got down on her knees and made little kissy sounds at me. I shoved my shoulder and side of my head up against the bars to comfort her. Gentle fingertips caressed my neck; she was desperate for companionship. A tear fell down her cheek and I raised my paw to assure her that all would be well.

Soon my kennel door opened and her smile was so bright that I instantly jumped into her arms. I would promise to keep her safe. I would promise to always be by her side. I would promise to do everything I could to see that radiant smile and sparkle in her eyes. I was so fortunate that she came down my corridor. So many more are out there who haven't walked the corridors. So many more to be saved. At least I could save one.

I rescued a human today.

Author Unknown

 

The Daily Mews has a lot of stories about cats protecting their siblings and their human families:

"I’ve posted on site a picture of Timmy putting a paw out to stop Garfield from falling down the stairs – you can see it on the Home Page. It is also here:

http://www.thedailymews.com/MewsletterArchives/mewsletter41nov2505.htm

It got me wondering if any other cats are protective of their siblings or of their Human families. Leny van der Veer-de Vries, from Holland, who sent me the link to the Humpback whale story, told me that her ginger female cat, Indy once warned her that something was melting in the meter cupboard, saving the family’s lives from a fire.

I then read of another cat, called Macavity (another ginger cat!) who rescued his family from an inferno. When the Montague family adopted him from the Cats Protection, they had no idea that he’d save their bacon. A forgotten late-night snack threatened to reduce the family home to cinders, Macavity jumped to the rescue. As smoke filled the kitchen, Macavity woke Mum Patricia by smacking her with his paw and howling the house down. The Montague family are extremely proud of their resourceful pet – even though their microwave was a write-off!

A recent ArcaMax story tells of the family cat saving the lives of a woman and her 9-month-old grand daughter as they dozed in their caravan, in PA. Princess, the 7-year-old cat, woke the woman by meowing loudly at her. She was then alerted to the smell of flames and heard crackling flames.

More stories from ArcaMax can be found on this link: http://www.arcamax.com/cgi-bin/news/channel/1030"
-- P. Dewberry, from The Daily Mews e-newsletter

Also from The Daily Mews, this story  My Four-Legged Heart Specialists.

"Half of North American pet owners responding to a 2004 survey said that if they were stranded on a desert island, they would pick a dog or cat rather than a person to be their sole companion. Almost half said their pets were better listeners than spouses, family members or friends, the American Animal Hospital Association poll showed."  (Molly Selvin and Abigail Goldman, Los Angeles Times, 3/31/07)

It is devastating to lose a valued animal companion, which is why the "poison pill"* is so awful.  Read our pet loss page for support if you have lost your beloved pet.

*Housing developers are in it for the money and they are motivated to sell units as quickly as they can to maximize profit.  This motivation is why many NEW housing developments allow pets.  When the condo lawyers and condo management companies move in, there is a tendency to copy "cookie cutter" rules - including no signs, no trucks, no pets, etc., etc.  Pets of original owners are "grandfathered in," but rules are added so that the pets cannot be replaced when they pass on. 

This quote from Health Guide (www.healthguide.org) best summarizes the benefits of pets in the life of their owners.

The evidence is in: pets help their owners stay healthy, happy, and independent. Pet owners are more active, whether they're taking a daily walk or just changing the litter box, than those who don't own pets. Caring for an animal can help lower your blood pressure, reduce stress, and even lengthen your life.