Health Benefits of Pets
It’s not just us saying it, Health.com created a list of the many positive health benefits of having pets in your life!
- Pets may lower your cholesterol: Daily walks with your dog walks help to keep cholesterol in check.
- Pets help relieve stress: Oxytocin is released when we look at companion animals, which brings feelings of joy.
- Pets may reduce your blood pressure: Research has shown petting your pooch or kitty can bring down blood pressure.
- Pets boost your fitness: Studies show that dog owners walk more than people who don’t have dogs. Dog owners are also more likely recommended levels of physical activity.
- Pets help prevent allergies in children: Research suggests kids who grow up around animals may have a reduced risk of developing asthma or eczema.
- Pets relieve depression: Animals give you something to focus on instead of negative thoughts. Pets also provide unconditional love and acceptance.
- Pets ease chronic pain: Petting your animal releases endorphins, and they are powerful pain relievers.
- Pets improve relationships: One study found that young adults with a deep bond to their pets felt more connected in their relationships and communities than those who didn’t.
Potentially Dangerous Items for Pets
From the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, USDA.gov:
Edible Dangers
Some food and drink items that you consider tasty treats may be dangerous for your pet. As tempting as it might be to share your food or drink with your four-legged friend, please resist! Some of the more hazardous edible items include:
- Alcoholic drinks and food products containing alcohol
- Avocado (only mildly toxic to dogs and cats, but can be severely toxic, even deadly, to birds, rabbits, horses, and ruminants such as cattle, goats, and sheep)
- Caffeine (found in a lot of drinks such as coffee, tea, soda, and energy drinks)
- Chocolate
- Garlic
- Grapes and raisins
- Macadamia nuts
- Marijuana
- Onions
- Tobacco products (including e-cigarettes and their refills)
- Xylitol (a sweetener found in products such as some sugar-free chewing gum, sugar-free candy, cough syrup, mouthwash, and toothpaste)
- Yeast products (like raw bread dough)
While not necessarily toxic, some food items can cause a gastrointestinal obstruction (a blockage in the digestive tract) if your pet swallows them. For example, avocado seeds, cherry pits, peach pits, corn cobs, and bones can get stuck in your pet’s esophagus, stomach, or intestines.
Fruit pits in the Prunus genus of trees and shrubs, which includes cherries, nectarines, peaches, and plums, contain cyanide, but cyanide poisoning is rare unless your pet eats a lot of pits and chews them up. The pits must be crushed or ground up to release the cyanide. A gastrointestinal obstruction is the bigger risk for dogs and cats that eat these fruit pits.
Non-Edible Dangers
Pets, especially dogs, will often eat non-edible items. Some non-edible items in your house or yard that may be dangerous for your pet include:
- Antifreeze
- Cocoa mulch
- Fabric softener sheets
- Ice melting products
- Insecticides
- Liquid potpourri
- Rat and mouse bait
- Various household cleaners (including bleach and toilet bowl cleaners)
- Swimming pool chemicals
- Salt dough Christmas tree ornaments and play dough
Plants and Flowers
Threats to your pet’s health can also come from outside the home. Some plants and flowers can be harmful if your pet eats them. Below is a list of the more common plants and flowers that may be dangerous for your pet:
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Act Quickly
If you think your pet has eaten any of the potentially dangerous items listed above, call your veterinarian or a pet poison control center right away.
Pet Poison Control Centers
- Pet Poison Helpline, 855-764-7661, http://www.petpoisonhelpline.com
- ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center, 888-426-4435, www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control
Staying Healthy with Pets
From WebMD.com:
“Studies have shown that Alzheimer’s patients have fewer anxious outbursts if there is an animal in the home,” says Lynette Hart, PhD, associate professor at the University of California at Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.
“Their caregivers also feel less burdened when there is a pet, particularly if it is a cat, which generally requires less care than a dog,” says Hart.
Walking a dog or just caring for a pet — for elderly people who are able — can provide exercise and companionship.
Pet owners are far less likely to suffer from depression than those without pets. “The benefit is especially pronounced when people are strongly attached to their pets,” says researcher Judith Siegel, PhD.
In one study, stockbrokers with high blood pressure who adopted a cat or dog had lower blood pressure readings in stressful situations than did people without pets.
People in stress mode get into a “state of dis-ease,” in which harmful chemicals like cortisol and norepinephrine can negatively affect the immune system, says Blair Justice, PhD, a psychology professor at the University of Texas School of Public Health and author of Who Gets Sick: How Beliefs, Moods, and Thoughts Affect Your Health.
Studies show a link between these chemicals and plaque buildup in arteries, the red flag for heart disease, says Justice.
In one study, stockbrokers with high blood pressure who adopted a cat or dog had lower blood pressure readings in stressful situations than did people without pets.
People in stress mode get into a “state of dis-ease,” in which harmful chemicals like cortisol and norepinephrine can negatively affect the immune system, says Blair Justice, PhD, a psychology professor at the University of Texas School of Public Health and author of Who Gets Sick: How Beliefs, Moods, and Thoughts Affect Your Health.