More Health Benefits Of Pet Ownership

Help for Depression

If you have depression, there are many ways that pet-ownership can help you:

Unconditional love: With a pet, there is no need for explanations. You can just feel the way you feel and your pet will love you, and never try to offer any unhelpful advice like, "Chin up! There's others' far worse than you!"

Responsibility: Having someone to take responsibility for can add new focus and purpose to your life. You will be able to remember that you are needed, and capable. As Ian Cook, MD says: "Taking care of a pet will give you a sense of your value and importance."

Activity and Routine: A dog needs to be walked daily; a cat needs for you to get up early in the morning to change the kitty-litter. It you're barely able to get out of bed, these simple routines can help. Pets inspire you to perform necessary tasks and the additional physical exercise that you have to do feel purposeful. In time, this extra physical activity improves our emotional health by triggering a release of endorphins and reducing immune system chemicals that can worsen depression.

Companionship: Depression is isolating. A pet provides you with a friend who loves you and ensures you're never alone. That can make all the difference.

Touch: Studies show that depression improves when we have physical contact. Pets provide that physical contact, whether it's petting a cat sitting on your lap or stroking a dog lounging next to you on the couch. This touch also steadies your heart rate, helping you to feel calmer and more relaxed.

Dogs Equal Greater Weight Loss

Dog ownership has been linked to weight-loss many times:

• A year-long study found that owners walking an overweight dog helped both the owner and the dog losing weight. Research suggests the dog supports the owner in the same way as a human weight-loss buddy would, only without judgment or other potentially-negative side-effects
• Residents who walked therapy dogs for 20 minutes a day lost 14.4lbs in a year without changing their diet.

Better General Health

People with pets make fewer visits to the doctor than those without pets, with one study finding that pet owners over 65 years old make 30% less visits to health care professionals than non pet-owners, including doctors and hospitals.

READ Steering Clear Of Pet Health Hazards: How Not To Get A Pet-Transmitted Disease

One Chinese study of women found that dog owners reported better sleep, fewer sick days, more frequent exercise, and better fitness levels.

Pet owners have also been found to have a longer lifespan than people who don't own pets. This is partly caused by pet owners getting lower heart rates and blood pressure levels by stroking or being near pets.

One American study looked as stockbrokers who were already on blood pressure medication and asked them to perform a series of stressful tasks. It was found that those with pets had significantly lower blood pressure and heart rates.

Should I get a pet?

Getting a pet is not a decision to be taken lightly. While they can have many health benefits to their owners, the pet's needs must be paramount. Before you consider getting a pet, ask yourself these questions:

• Do I have the money? Can I financially support this pet? Can I afford its food, its vet bills, vaccination, medication if it gets sick, possibly for the next 20 years?
• Do I have the time? If you work outside the home from early in the morning until late in the night, you may not be a fit guardian for a dog. A dog whose cooped-up all day will not make a calming companion. Dogs are social creatures and need mental and physical stimulation. It's often underestimated, too, how much mental stimulation a cat needs. A cat left alone for long periods with no stimulation will become distressed and destructive. You need to have time to devote to a pet.
• Can I make a commitment? Many breeds of dog, and increasingly cats, can live for up to 20 years. Are you willing to make a whole-life commitment to your pet?
• Do I accept that owning a pet can curtail my social life? That I can only leave my pet for a short period of time; that training takes time; that spur-of-the-moment vacations are a thing of the past, as I must ensure my pet is taken care of as a priority?

If you decide to get a pet, seek out a shelter or a reputable breeder.

Your new pet will reward your time and attention with unconditional love, companionship and years of health benefits that we are just beginning to understand.

For those of us who already share our lives with a cat or a dog, all we have to do to continue to enjoy years of health benefits is continue to enjoy petting our pooch and coddling our cat.

And that's not too much to ask.