Studies prove that pets provide physical health benefits, offer stress relief and detect or predict health challenges. Some pets now are used prior to health tests like MRIs to reduce patient fear. How can that be? Pets help keep us emotionally healthy.
They keep us connected to the world and other pet lovers, and offer a purpose to get out of bed in the morning. People who wouldn't go to the store for themselves will make the effort to get dog food or kitty litter.
Sure, walking the dog means people exercise, but studies also show that walking a dog offers more benefits than walking alone. There's a social and emotional benefit that has no equal.
Emotional Benefits Of Service Dogs
Service dogs have offered people assistance for many years as guides for the blind, ears for the deaf or even an extra pair of hands -- fetching everything from the phone and clothing, to turning lights on and off. While we mostly think of dogs, other critters including parrots, cats, lizards and even horses do this work. But service animals also boost emotional health in surprising ways.
Researcher Karen Allen conducted a two-year study looking at individuals with a variety of challenges who had used wheelchairs for a year or longer. She compared the group who received dogs to those who didn't. After a year, those with dogs showed dramatic improvement in areas such as self-esteem, psychological well-being and generally getting back into life. People were going out and having relationships, they made friends and a couple of people even got married.
This effect was also documented by researchers at the University of California Davis. They found people with pets were approached more often for conversation than when they were alone. Blind and wheelchair-bound kids with their dogs in public places were approached for social contact 10 times more frequently than without their dogs. Beside the day-to-day help service animals provide, they act as a social lubricant that emotionally heals.
When animals are present, Alzheimer patients are more responsive and more positive. But even healthy senior adults benefit emotionally from spending time with pets.
Pets Don't Judge
Healing includes the mending of broken hearts, lost dreams and painfully poisonous ideas and beliefs. Pets make things safe for emotions. You can express anything to your pet -- anger, sadness, joy, despair -- without being judged.
Humans suffering from trauma or illness, grief or depression, often withdraw from the world to find a safe and healing place. Kids who are lonely, dealing with death or illness in the family or other trauma have better coping skills when they have access to a pet. Families going through divorce also benefit from this pet effect. People caring for a pet are less likely to suffer from depression.
Psychiatric service dogs alert people when they need to take medication, eat on time or assure them the house and environment is safe and relieve their fears. And pets won't take no for an answer.
The Human-Animal Bond
The bond refers to feelings of love we have for pets -- and they for us -- and this biochemical process can actually be measured with blood tests. A study by South African professor Johannes Odendaal proved that the human-animal bond makes us feel good from the inside out. Pets feel it, too!
Our feelings, thoughts and attitudes are influenced by changes in brain chemistry. Odendaal measured blood levels and found that positive biochemicals phenylethalamine, dopamine, beta-endorphin, prolactin and oxytocin increased significantly for both the pets and people when bonding takes place.
People who interact with their own pets have even higher elevations. These chemicals stimulate feelings of elation, safety, tranquility, happiness, satisfaction and love -- it's more than simple contact, it's the individual animal and the bond we share.
Pets insist on being noticed, yet their presence is safe. They listen without judgment, and are silent without offering unasked advice. Animals know how to just sit and be with someone for as long as necessary. And pets don't turn away from tears and grief the way humans tend to do. Sometimes our beloved animal companions are the only bridge able to receive and return affection and show us the way home to emotional health.
Amy D. Shojai, CABC, is a certified animal behavior consultant and the award-winning author of 23 pet care books. She also writes for puppies.about.com and cats.about.com and appears on Animal Planet's CATS-101 and DOGS-101. Check out Amy's latest book, "Pet Care in the New Century: Cutting-Edge Medicine for Dogs & Cats" and on Red Room, where you can read her blog.
Follow Amy D. Shojai, CABC on Twitter: www.twitter.com/@amyshojai
On a related note, I also loved the idea used by some schools of having children, who are struggling to read, read to dogs. The dogs give them their full attention, don't make fun when the kids struggle, and offer moral support. Good example of thinking out of the box.
Read more of my thoughts on life and happiness here: www.elizabethfarrar.com
And there's not a day that goes by without him making me laugh. Can't beat that.
The cost of vet care is outrageous.
When I called my vet to inquire about getting my Chihuahuas teeth cleaned I was quoted a price of $500 for the cleaning and an extra $100 to $150 for each tooth if they need to be extracted.
I.m not against anyone making a living but feel this is gouging.!
I called a few more clinics and still will pay over $300.
I wish I could get playmate for my Chihuahua but one dog at a time is all I can afford.
Her teeth are not in bad shape. She is only 4 years old and I thought it was time for her to get a professional cleaning.
I found a vet who charges $322.00 She comes highly recommended by my neighbors.
I did go to Spay, Inc when I had Elle spayed and got a discount, but it still was expensive even when I got a senior discount! I called that same clinic about teeth cleaning and was quoted a price of $450 with a 10 % senior discount.
I have found the best deal to be the one I am taking Elle to tomorrow.
$322.
I wish I could say more. It is always surprising to me that there are so many people, like yourself, who need help and don't get it.
I haven't ridden in years, but I work at a barn/stable. I have a mental illness issue, but I've been comfortable working there and I'm pretty sure I call in sick less than I have on other, more people and paperwork oriented jobs just because I know the horses cannot feed and clean up after themselves and need me. And the barncats' ears won't scratch themselves, either. And I can't tell you how many times my guy and I wouldn't have gone out for groceries for ourselves if it werent' for the cat needing food.
Some of my favorite exchanges were those which occured in the cat section of the pet food aisle, five minutes before the store closes, where my favorite comment was, "My cat told me if I don't come home with cat food, don't come home," often said to people with terrible colds or flus who dragged themselves out of their sickbeds for the same reason. :-)