Seven Ways Your Pet Helps Keep You Healthy

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Keeping your heart happy

Research found that dog owners are more likely to have healthy blood sugar levels and lower cholesterol and triglycerides, all of which reduces heart disease risk. This may simply boil down to those daily dog walks. One study found that 60% of dog owners who took their dogs for regular walks were getting moderate or even vigorous exercise based on federal standards. While cats don’t require walking, they too are good for your heart. In one 20-year study cat owners had a 30% lower risk of dying from a heart attack or stroke.

Lowering your blood pressure

While your furry friend can’t take the place of medication and lifestyle changes to help you control hypertension, they certainly can help. Studies have shown that pet owners tend to have a lower resting blood pressure than non-pet owners. One study found that human blood pressure dropped by approximately 10% 15 to 30 minutes after petting a dog. Another study determined that owning a cat can reduce stroke risk by more than a third.

Boosting your mood

Animal-assisted therapy is recognized as a treatment for depression and mood disorders by the National Institute of Mental Health. Any domesticated animal, including dogs, cats, rabbits, and birds, can qualify as an emotional support animal. Therapy animals are also used in hospitals to comfort and entertain patients. For people living with depression or mental illness, caring for a pet keeps them active, distracts them from their dark thoughts, and provides them with structure. Depressed people tend to withdraw from their loved ones, but their pet is still there for them, providing support and unconditional love. Most are very good listeners – although a parrot may talk back!

Reducing stress

When you’re under stress, your body goes into flight or fight mode and releases the hormones adrenaline and cortisol. Adrenaline boosts your energy, speeds up your heartbeat, and raises blood pressure. Cortisol increases blood sugar to provide more energy to the brain. While the flight or fight mode helps you react quickly to an immediate threat, long term exposure to adrenaline and cortisol can lead to a variety of health issues, including heart disease. Studies have shown that being around animals reduces cortisol levels while raising the levels of the mood-elevating hormones serotonin and dopamine. Some offices have started allowing pets to make the atmosphere less stressful. Even a simple activity like watching tropical fish swim in a tank can have a calming effect.

Improving your social life

Pets help you connect with others. As many single people have figured out, dogs are a great conversation starter. Dog owners often interact with other dog owners they encounter on walks. Sometimes brief chats turn into longer conversations and eventually, friendships.

Reducing allergies

There is increasing evidence that living with pets helps protect you against asthma and allergies (unless you are already allergic). This may be a result of exposure to the pets' microbiota, or good bacteria, which may strengthen your immune system. Living with pets from infancy appears to lower a child’s risk of asthma and food allergies.

Helping kids thrive

“You’re only as happy as your unhappiest child,” as the saying goes. Pets can increase your child’s happiness quotient, and by extension, yours. Caring for a pet encourages the development of positive qualities like empathy, responsibility, and compassion and adds structure and routine to the child’s life. A recent study compared two group of teens with type 1 diabetes. Both groups were asked to keep up their blood sugar logs and check in with parents to share their results. One group was also asked to care for a tank of fish, feeding them, checking the tank’s water levels twice a day, and changing the water once a week. As the experiment progressed, the fish-keeping teens became more disciplined about checking their own blood glucose levels than the other group. Another study provided children with autism with guinea pigs for a supervised group play time. The children’s anxiety levels dropped during guinea pig time and they were more engaged with their peers. Pets are also beneficial for children with ADHD, helping to reduce aggression and impulsive behavior, improve mood, reduce anxiety, and channel excess energy.

Now that you’ve learned a few things about animals and your health, why not look for a loyal companion at a pet shelter near you?

This article first appeared in the March 2025 edition of the HealthPerks newsletter.