From: "Rich Gauszka" 



http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/healthnews.php?newsid=61316

UK study reveals that owning a dog is good for your health. And having a
pet dog improves your physical and mental wellbeing more than having a cat.

This is the conclusion of a study by a senior lecturer, Dr Deborah Wells,
from the Canine Behaviour Centre of Queens University, Belfast, Northern
Ireland.

Dr Wells has published her study in the British Journal of Health Psychology.

The study is a review of research papers that have explored the connection
between domestic dog ownership and human wellbeing. In her research Dr
Wells found papers that suggest domestic dog ownership can prevent people
from getting ill, recover more quickly when they do fall ill, and give
warning of early signs of cancer, seizures and hypoglycaemia.

She also explored the research into dogs and human psychological health,
including the therapeutic role that dogs play in aiding the disabled and
also in hospitals, prisons and residential homes.

An Israeli research paper said it was likely that animal companions helped
people with schizophrenia feel motivated and calmer. And another UK study
suggested that the companionship of a dog helped children with chronic
illnesses endure painful treatments.

Some of the evidence was found to be weak, but in other areas Dr Wells
found strong evidence to suggest that dog owners have lower blood pressure,
lower cholesterol, and are less likely to have minor and serious health
problems.

In one paper dated 1985, Dr Wells found that dog owners had an 8.6 higher
one year survival rate after a heart attack compared to people who did not
have a dog.

Dr Wells suggests there could be a number of reasons for the health
benefits of dog ownership. There is the more obvious direct effect of
increased physical activity, but then there are also indirect effects such
as that brought by increased social contact and the possibility that the
human-dog bond provides a psychological buffer against stress.

Comparing cat and dog ownership, Dr Wells found evidence that people who
take cats and dogs from rescue centres reported reductions in minor health
problems such as headaches, dizzy spells and colds as soon as one month
after taking their new companion home. However, it was only those people
who had taken dogs, as opposed to cats, that still had the improved health
conditions up to ten months later.

--- BBBS/NT v4.01 Flag-5