Creature comforts

Living well

Research shows that pets not only provide great company, but can have significant health benefits too. In this special feature, overleaf, PH patients tell us how their animal friends make a difference in their lives. And Mary Ferguson considers the evidence for pet therapy.

Pets can make a big difference to our lives, in many different ways.

As well as alleviating mental health symptoms like depression, stress and anxiety, research suggests that being around animals can also reduce blood pressure and help improve our feelings of well-being.

A study by Cambridge University titled ‘Beneficial effects of pet ownership on some aspects of human health and behaviour’, found that owning a pet can lead to improvements in general health in as little as one month, with owners found to suffer fewer ailments, such as headaches, colds and hay-fever.

Plus, the study said playing with a pet also helps alleviate depression by elevating levels of serotonin and dopamine. Many of us find that the gentle exercise provided by walking a dog or riding a horse, for example, can be helpful both physically and mentally.

In 2013, the American Heart Association (AHA) released a scientific statement saying that owning a pet may help lower blood pressure, obesity and cholesterol, as well as reducing the risk of heart disease.
They also claim that keeping animals can have a positive effect on the body’s reactions to stress.

And according to information issued by the Pet Health Council in 2007, looking after an animal brings structure and routine to your day, which can promote feelings of purpose and fulfilment, ‘satisfying the human need to nurture.’

Some care homes have recently started introducing chickens to their grounds to boost the wellbeing of elderly residents and Pets As Therapy (PAT) dogs often visit hospitals, care homes or hospices to provide comfort to patients. A category for ‘PAT dog of the year’ is even now included at Crufts.

The Pet Health Council also claim that animals can help alleviate loneliness not only by being loyal companions, but by helping you meet new people.

A report published in The Journal of Social Psychology titled ‘The role of pet dogs in casual conversations of elderly adults’ found that people walking a dog have far more positive encounters with others than those out walking alone, with the pet often providing a topic of conversation.

Although the decision to take on a pet is not one to be taken lightly, it does seem that a lot of evidence points to the fact that animals can be good for our health – and lots of fun besides. Here, two PH patients tell us how their dogs make a difference to their lives.

Ann Sharp from Devon is the proud owner of 11-year-old Golden Retriever Henry and says she doesn’t know what she’d do without him.

“Henry really came into his own when I was diagnosed with PH six years ago. He picked up on my distress from the word go and has increased in sensitivity year by year. He knows, by some amazing instinct, when I am more unwell than usual and will stay by my side providing comfort and love as only such a dog can.
I do not know what I would do without him. How can a dog be so understanding of the human condition? I don’t know how, but he is. All this is made more wonderful by the fact that Henry himself is a very poorly dog and has been so from a very young age. He suffers from, amongst other things, Inflammatory Bowel Disease and is on almost as much medication as I am!
The photograph shows Henry in his ‘glory days’. Nowadays, medication has reduced his beautiful silky golden locks to a mass of bear-like wooliness, but he is still my special boy.”

Gill Luck from Worthing rescued her boxer dog Ollie from the RSPCA three years ago. She helps reduce her stress and anxiety, as well as providing companionship.

“I’m retired due to ill health and living with Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension and other chronic conditions and without my dog I know that I would be susceptible to depression.
Ollie gives me a reason to get up every morning. She listens to me and can tell if I’m upset. She can even alert others if I have a seizure. Stroking her very quickly reduces stress and anxiety. I am so lucky to have her as my companion.
My husband has to walk her but the three of us often go out with my mobility scooter which is also good for my emotional and physical wellbeing.
We rescued her from the RSPCA when she was two and our children had left home- empty nest syndrome! She’s now five and we say that in fact, it was her that rescued us.”