How Pets Improve our Well-being

 

Longer, Happier, Healthier

How our pets help improve our well-being

by Mary Susan Littlepage

 

Have you ever noticed how the stress of a long day just melts away after spending a few minutes petting your cat? Or how the excitement of your canine friend pulling at her leash motivates you to run faster? You’re not the only one. Experts finally agree on what many pet guardians have known all along: In a variety of different ways, pets help us live longer, happier, and healthier lives.

According to the Humane Society of the United States, the daily care that comes with having a pet (feeding, walking, petting, etc.) requires physical activity that improves the cardiovascular system, which in turn, stimulates both physical and mental wellness. Pets can help lower people’s blood pressure and cholesterol levels. And, not surprisingly, just being in the company of an animal friend can keep the blues at bay. “Caring for pets provides a sense of purpose and fulfillment and can certainly lessen the feelings of isolation and loneliness,” says Nancy Peterson, issues specialist with the HSUS.

Making Buddy your workout buddy
The sight of spandex-wearing joggers hitting the neighborhood with pooch companions faithfully in tow is nothing new, but a recent study by Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago and Hill’s Pet Nutrition reveals this may be the ideal solution for trimming the fat off both humans and their animal companions. The study, called People and Pets Exercising Together, or P-PET, revealed that people and their pets are more successful in losing weight when they exercise together.

“We learned that people can buddy up with their pet as a motivator and as an exercise partner,” says Dr. Robert Kushner, medical director of the Wellness Institute at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. “We found that you don’t need to go searching far to find someone who will run or walk right beside you enthusiastically [and] will look for every opportunity to be out there with you.”

P-PET focused exclusively on pairing guardians and canine companions who were both overweight. “The dogs, as they lost weight, uniformly became more energetic, more playful, and really became much happier family pets than when they were overweight—which says something about the burden of obesity among pets,” Kushner says. The study also found that people and their dogs were able to lose the weight and keep it off.

For Patti Lawson of Charleston, West Virginia, exercising with her dog Sadie not only helped her take off the pounds, it also inspired her to write a book. “[Caring for] a dog is a lot cheaper than joining a gym or paying a psychiatrist,” says Lawson, who wrote The Dog Diet as a way to share her success with others.

Lawson explains that she turned to overeating after a romantic relationship came to a painful end. During this difficult period she adopted Sadie, a little black and tan puppy. Lawson began taking Sadie on long walks to keep her dog happy. As a result, Sadie became a fun, dependable walking buddy and Lawson was getting exercise and regaining her positive outlook on life.

“As time went on, I started seeing myself through her eyes,” Lawson says, “and I wasn’t this imperfect, overweight person to this little dog. I was a wonderful person, and I was her caregiver and her companion.” The Dog Diet, which explains to readers how a canine companion can improve relationships, stress, dieting and more, hits bookshelves in April.

Brightening up the golden years
A wagging tongue at your side or a set of whiskers in your face can melt the tension in any animal lover. For seniors, it may be the key to longevity. Loneliness has become one of the leading causes of stress for senior citizens, especially for those who may be living out their golden years in a nursing home. Having an animal companion at one’s side can increase wellness and lengthen life span.

“More and more nursing homes are welcoming pets to improve the quality of life for residents and employees,” says Susan Feeney, senior director of public affairs for the American Health Care Association, a Washington, D.C.-based group that represents thousands of nursing homes.

In 1991, Dr. Bill Thomas and his wife, Jude Meyers, developed the Eden Alternative. This philosophy seeks to eliminate three main “plagues” in nursing homes—loneliness, helplessness, and boredom—by encouraging seniors to spend time with animal companions.

At a nursing home in upstate New York, the couple saw a decrease in the number of prescriptions, lower infection rates among residents, and a lower staff-turnover rate. A similar study at Saint Louis University found that nursing home residents felt less lonely after spending time with dogs. Jane Rubin, executive director of the Eden Village, a nursing home and retirement community in Glen Carbon, Illinois, says she has seen residents’ spirits improve greatly since the retirement community started incorporating the Eden Alternative in 2001.

She recalls how one man was able to regain greater use of his arms. “He was looking at the dog, Sandy, and smiling really big, and one of our nurses said, ‘Why don’t you reach out and pet the dog?’ And, sure enough, this man moved his arm that was restricted before and reached out for the dog and petted him.”

Residents’ faces light up when animals come up to them. “The animals don’t care if a person is not too healthy,” Rubin says. “It’s unconditional love.”

 

Fitness Unleashed!
A Dog Owner’s Guide to Losing Weight and Gaining Health Together
By Marty Becker DVM
and Robert Kushner MD
(Three Rivers Press)

Health and wellness gurus Marty Becker and Robert Kushner team up and tackle fitness for four-legged friends and their human companions. The book explores why dogs make natural workout buddies, how bad habits facilitate obesity for us and our pets, and most importantly, how to get back on the road to fitness. After reading through this little opus, you and Fido will be hitting the pavement in your workout gear in no time!