Happy National Pet Week! Here in the veterinary world, pets are our lives! We do what we do because we love our pets (and yours)! What is it about pets that makes our worlds go round? There is something special in this thing we call the human-animal bond. They make us better! Pets truly can be therapy, or even as beneficial as a prescription for your health.
According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, the human-animal bond is a mutually beneficial and dynamic relationship between people and animals that is influenced by behaviors essential to the health and well-being of both. This includes, among other things, emotional, psychological, and physical interactions of people, animals, and the environment. The veterinarian's role in the human-animal bond is to maximize the potential of this relationship between people and animals.
What exactly does this mean? Can having a pet really help people be healthier? Yes — and there is evidence to back it up. Research is piling up in support of the emotional benefits of owning a pet. These studies suggest that pets can benefit healthy aging, cancer patients, people living with Alzheimer's or dementia, individuals who experience PTSD, mental health conditions or autism spectrum disorder, and can even support healthy child development.
Pets can help not only with emotional well-being, but with physical health too. Studies have suggested that growing up with a pet may reduce the likelihood of allergies in young children, and that pet ownership may be associated with lower blood pressure, better cardiovascular function, a reduced physical response to stress, and healthier weight through increased activity.
For more information on the human-animal bond, visit the Human Animal Bond Research Institute.