Many of us probably think of pets as just another member of the family, but there’s much more to owning a pet than meets the eye, especially when it comes to our physical and psychological health. Once known for following more cats and dogs on instagram than humans, and our aims of optimising health through marginal gains, I would love nothing more than to share with you the science behind why we all need a furry friend in our life.

Physical Activity

If you have a dog, then unless you got really lucky or have a very large garden, walking the dog should be a daily feature of every dog owner’s life. In one review, more than half of dog walkers reported walking their dog for 160 minutes a week (Christian et al., 2013). That’s ten minutes over the weekly recommended guidelines for exercise without even stepping foot in a gym for intentional exercise.

Cardiovascular Health

With all that walking it’s unsurprising that dog owners have a better cardiovascular risk profile. The benefits extend to cat owners too, so much so that the American Heart Association published their own scientific statement entitled pet ownership and cardiovascular risk. Pet ownership, particularly of dogs, is often associated with better blood pressure, blood lipid, autonomic function, and weight management profiles. For those with established cardiovascular disease, pet ownership has a cardioprotective effect, independently predicting prolonged years of survival after a cardiac event (Levine et al., 2013).

Mental Health

There are two predominant mechanisms through which pet ownership can benefit mental health. Firstly, through exercising pets, shopping for their food, attending veterinary appointments, apologising for headless mice in your neighbour’s garden, and putting up with members of the public who melt with joy at the sight of an animal, pet owners have more opportunities for social interaction which can alleviate feelings of loneliness. Secondly, the pet itself serves as a source of social support, and from anecdotal evidence the relationship between a pet and an owner can even sometimes resemble that of a spouse (McNicholas et al., 2005).

Lack of social support and relationships is a risk factor for ill mental health, and pet companionship can combat this as a source of happiness, company, relaxation, and shared recreations, plus enhancement of social interactions leading to positive mental health. Some of these improvements are believed to be linked to the release of the hormone oxytocin, which is also released during human to human interactions (Beetz et al., 2012).

The mental health benefits of dog ownership are so significant that they are now used as service animals for recovery from serious mental illnesses such as anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (Wisdom et al., 2009).

Disease Prevention

Given the daily physical activity, and the cardiovascular and mental health protective effects, pet ownership pays off in the long term, making owners less likely to develop chronic health conditions, and making them more likely to live and function independently for longer.

Immune System Development

Pre-natal and post-natal exposure to household furred pets can influence immune development, protecting against allergic disease development later in life (Bufford et al., 2008).

Ill Health

Most of the benefits of pet ownership have alluded to their protective effects against developing ill physical and mental health. Yet pets have just as much to offer to those with diagnosed conditions.

As mentioned above, pets improve survival from cardiac events and they are now used for the recovery from mental illness. However the diagnostic abilities of dogs beyond traditional medicine astounds me, today we have dogs that can detect cancer, hypoglycaemia, and the aura of epileptic seizures, thereby also promoting survival (Wells, 2012).

In summary, pets are mood busting social magnets with the potential to improve your long term physical health. Just remember to interact with some humans too.

Faye Prior (Researcher)

Sources

Beetz, A., Uvnäs-Moberg, K., Julius, H. & Kotrschal, K. (2012). Psychological and Psychophysiological Effects of Human-Animal Interactions: The Possible Role of Oxytocin. Frontiers in Psychology, 3(234), doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00234.

Bufford, J. D., Reardon, C. L., Li. Z., Roberg, K. A., DaSilva, D. et al. (2008). Effects of Dog Ownership in Early Childhood on Immune Development and Atopic Diseases. Clinical and Experimental Allergy, 38(10), 1635-43.

Christian, H. E., Westgarth, C., Bauman, A., Richards, E. A., Rhodes, R. E. et al. (2013). Dog Ownership and Physical Activity: A Review of the Evidence. Journal of Physical Activity and Health, 10, 750-59.

Levine, G. N., Allen, K., Braun, L. T., Christian, H. E., Friedman, E. et al. (2013). Pet Ownership and Cardiovascular Risk: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association. Circulation, 127(23), 2353-63.

McNicholas, J., Gilbev, A., Rennie, A., Ahmedzai, S., Dono, J.A. et al. (2005). Pet Ownership and Human Health: A Brief Review of Evidence and Issues. BMJ, 331(7527), 1252-54.

Wells, D. L. (2012). Dogs as a Diagnostic Tool for Ill Health in Humans. Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, 18(2), 12-7.

Wisdom, J. P., Saedi, G. A. & Green, C. A. (2009). Another Breed of “Service” Animals: STARS Study Findings About Pet Ownership and Recovery From Serious Mental Illness. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 79(3), 430-6.