I have been practicing veterinary medicine in Mount Pleasant long enough that I have had the privilege of caring for numerous generations of pets from “cradle to grave”. In that time I have also gotten to know the families of those patients and enjoyed listening to the wonderful stories of how remarkable and extraordinary their pets are. But, by far, the ones that are the most special are the ones about how their pets have benefited their families and made life better.
When speaking about the relationship we have with our pets, we could make a tally of all the things we do and provide for them and another tally for all the benefits we gain from having them in our lives. When creating this list, it becomes quite clear that this ledger will never balance. Oh sure, there are skeptics. Just look at all the provisions we now have for our pets. Far beyond providing the essentials of shelter, food and water, just about every creature comfort imaginable in clothing, treats, furniture and physical pampering can be found for our beloved pets with a simple click of the mouse or quick trip to town. “My wife prefers to have Reggie in the bed instead of me” chided one of my clients as he continued on about how much his wife spoils their pet with special cooking, coats for cold days and regular grooming. “He lives the life of a king and I’m just a pauper”. I wish they all were so lucky.
But really, that is all well and good, but it is unfortunately true that those dogs that are spoiled and appreciated for what they do are the exceptions to the rule. It is likely that if you are reading this blog, you love your pet and you are doing as you should, providing food, shelter and care for your pet and you want to learn more about how you can do that better. Fantastic! Unfortunately, still far too many others live a life of hardship and cruelty. Humans have proven ourselves to be unkind, neglectful and cruel to our pets and yet, in spite of this, they continue to offer us good health, grace and unconditional love. So, yes, perhaps we do spoil them, but I argue that it is just a small atonement for our human brokenness.
What I am talking about goes far beyond the consistent and welcomed happy greeting offered every day with your return or the companionship during your morning walk. We benefit in so many ways that many are wondering why every person does not have a pet in their life. In a recent American Medical Association publication it was noted that 97% of family physicians encourage pet ownership because of the physical and emotional benefits and improved health of the family. There’s good science behind it and convincingly proves people live longer, happier and more fulfilled lives when it is shared with a pet.
In 2006, One Health initiative was created as a global initiative to improve the health of everyone. This is a collaborative effort of multiple health science professions, including veterinarians, together working to attain optimal health for people, domestic animals, wildlife, plants and the environment. With the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, the influence veterinarians have on our general health has become even more clear. Knowing that the better we provide care for your pet and the healthier your pet is, the better and healthier you and your family are, is just another wonderful aspect of being a veterinarian and knowing that we can make a positive difference in our community. What a wonderful feeling it is to know that in addition to all of those pets that Advanced Animal Care has cared for all these years have also benefited the health and well-being of that pet’s family, their friends and the community.
So, what do we gain from having pets in our lives? I encourage you to visit www.Habri.org/the-pet-effect for a complete list of the known health, emotional and social benefits of pet ownership. Here is a brief list of just some of the facets of our lives that are improved by living with and caring for pets:
- People who live with pets report less feelings of loneliness and have more motivation to participate in healthy activities such as self grooming, touch and caring actions and exercise.
- Our pets provide social assistance making it easier for kids and adults to make new connections, have greater confidence and talk and interact with others more.
- Those who live with pets generally report a better attitude and greater sense of optimism and laugh more.
- Those who live with and interact with pets daily report lower blood pressure values, experience a reduced risk of heart attacks and recover from illnesses faster.
- Work environments that allow pets report fewer reported sick days, higher productivity and greater sense of belonging to the company.
- Kids living with pets have fewer allergies, have improved reading scores and experience less stress and anxiety.
- Our pets help us detect dangers such as harmful chemicals, certain types of cancers and early warning for conditions such as epilepsy and diabetes mellitus.
- Our pets provide assistance to those with emotional and behavioral disabilities such as those on the Autism spectrum, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity disorder and senility and dementia.
Now that you know more about all the benefits we humans gain from our pets, you may want to know what can you do to honor them and help your community to be healthier. You can start by having a better relationship with your pet. Spend more time with them and learn more about how to better communicate with your pet. Spend time with them, enjoy them and celebrate how lucky you both are. Know that the better you care for them by providing a complete and well-balanced diet, providing complete preventative care, including vaccinations and parasite prevention, the healthier you and your family are. You can also help others by increasing the availability and access to having pets in our community’s lives. Here are a few suggestions of how you can help improve the lives of our community.
Pet inclusive housing- Life is better and health is improved for everyone when we live with pets. See www.Petsandhousing.org to learn more about how you can be involved in improving the access of pets in housing.
Pet friendly domestic violence shelters- In cases of domestic abuse, pets are often the target of abuse or the threat of abuse but only 10% of shelters accommodate pets. Many report reluctance to leave an abusive home for fear of harm that may occur to the pet. See www.RedRover.org for more information about how you can help.
Service dogs for veterans with PTSD- There is strong and clear evidence of the benefits of pets with treatment of emotional and behavioral disorders. This is best illustrated when evaluating the results of those afflicted with PTSD and the benefits pets provide in therapy. You can learn more about this and how you can help in making these services more available and affordable by supporting www.Habri.org and joining www.PetPartners.org
Hope this helps
Written by Dr. David Steele, FFCP