This may be one of my most challenging articles as I never had a pet and never intended to have one. This study(PDF) supports my dislike. However, coming to the USA, I realized that pets are essential to our lives. This article is dedicated to those who love their pets. This article may be eye-opening for those who constantly advise me to have a pet.
Assistance dogs have expanded to help with numerous disabilities and conditions, including medical conditions such as epilepsy and diabetes and mental health disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
My article is limited to pet ownership (PO) and human-animal interaction (HIA) and does not cover assistance animals.
- Physical Health Benefits of Pet:
Pet ownership: Some of the most robust research evidence to date regarding the impact of companion animals on human health and well-being comes from examinations of PO and cardiac health and physiological responses to stress in adults. Having a pet improves your autonomic function, including heart rate and Blood pressure. It also proved that pet owners are likelier to survive heart attacks and live longer. Older adult dog owners engage in significantly more walking than non-pet owners. The American Heart Association issued a scientific statement in 2013 suggesting that pet ownership (particularly dogs) may reduce the risk for cardiovascular disease. Equally good studies did not find any health benefits of having a pet.
- Human-Animal Interactions: Some studies show that when visited by a pet, patients had a better outcome in various cardiac tests. Animal-assisted interactions (AAI) positively impacted the risk of falls, BP, and hospitalization rates and tended to reduce other stress indicators such as heart rate, muscle tension, and skin temperature.
- Emotional Benefits of Having a Pet:
Pet Ownership: The relationship between pet dog ownership and depression over the lifespan continues to have inconsistent and inconclusive findings. Positive findings on Anxiety are limited by short-term studies only. In a recent American Psychiatric Association’s Healthy Mind poll, pet owners reported that their pets positively impact their mental health and cited several key benefits, including Helping reduce stress and anxiety (69%), Providing unconditional love and support (69%), companionship (69%), Providing a calming presence (66%), and are true friends (63%).
- Pet Interactions: Those with depression and depression with dementia showed improvement in depression and quality of life. Having a pet interaction by therapy may reduce anxiety (limited). Recent studies on PTSD and ADHD show some positive impacts.
- Effects of Pets on Happiness and Well-being:
Again, studies are a mixed bag. Some studies have found that dog ownership is associated with higher life satisfaction and greater well-being. In contrast, others show this is true only when the dog provides social support or satisfies the owners’ needs. A large-scale survey done in 2006 found no significant differences in self-reported happiness between dog owners, cat owners, and non-pet owners.
Loneliness: Several studies indicated that pet attachment was associated with lower loneliness in older adults. Some studies point out the selection bias and report that lonely people are likelier to have a pet. Pet-assisted interactions did improve loneliness in assisted living.
In another study, frequent dog walkers were likelier to feel a sense of community and perceived health benefits.
Disadvantages: Relying only on your pet as a support may not let one learn the growth that happens due to other coping mechanisms. People placing human cognitive motivations on pets’ behavior and treating pets as people can have a negative impact on the animal’s welfare. Pet owners were most worried about their pets aging or passing away (71%) and their pets’ health conditions (66%). They also worried about arrangements while traveling (56%) and healthcare-related expenses (58%). Pets can be a source of allergies and stress for those with negative experiences. Pets cause emotional stress if they act out or cause conflict with your surroundings. The most significant disadvantage is spending your valuable time. A pet may not be suited to your personality.
Caveats of the findings: Lots of studies are minor in size, short-term, have poor selection bias, and do not keep other lifestyle functions in mind.
Here are some fun facts: 67% of people in the USA own a pet (Dog >cats >> other animals), and we spend around 123 billion dollars/year for them. Dog ownership has increased since the pandemic.
Anyway, after reading this article, hug your pet now.
More here for a great review article and here, too.
Tarak Vasavada, MD
Medical director,
Live Well Foundation of Madison County Medical Society