{"id":181,"date":"2026-05-08T03:48:24","date_gmt":"2026-05-08T03:48:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/batsfordh.nastraining.com\/GCMW115Prj1-batsfordh\/?p=181"},"modified":"2026-05-12T16:41:21","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T16:41:21","slug":"pet-ownership-and-your-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/batsfordh.nastraining.com\/GCMW115Prj1-batsfordh\/2026\/05\/08\/pet-ownership-and-your-health\/","title":{"rendered":"Pet Ownership and Your Health"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Your pets provide companionship, unconditional love and plenty of smiles, but they also make you healthier just by living with you. The health benefits of owning a pet are both physical and psychological, and they extend throughout an owner\u2019s life. By keeping your furry companion healthy and happy, you\u2019re actually improving your own health and the health of your entire family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Establishing a relationship with a trusted veterinarian ensures that your pet gets the necessary care for long-term health.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.lcywhmojxmw4_l\">Pets and a Healthy Heart<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While eating right and exercise are important components of maintaining a healthy heart, sharing your home with a pet can be another way to boost your cardiovascular health, according to health research institutes. Owning a pet is linked to lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol levels and lower triglyceride levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.pl5wbqr1u8ax_l\">Responsible Pet Ownership<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While your pet provides plenty of health benefits that boost your well being, it relies on you for all of its own health needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Establishing a relationship with a trusted veterinarian ensures that your pet gets the necessary care for long-term health. Your pet should see a veterinarian at least once a year&nbsp; (twice a year as they get older)&nbsp; to check for any potential health problems and to keep up to date on any health maintenance needs such as vaccinations. Call your veterinarian today to make a check-up appointment for your pet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.vkqiyspd0yj9_l\">Exercise and Your Pet<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you have a dog, your daily walk together gives both of you needed exercise. Cats often enjoy active play with an owner-controlled string or fishing-pole toy, so it\u2019s easy to get small bursts of activity in throughout your day when you\u2019ve got a feline in the home. Even pet owners with rabbits, hamsters or birds get more exercise than those without any pets because feeding, cage maintenance and playing with your pet are all sources of physical activity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.ra1swttq4rs4_l\">Children and Pets<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Owning pets may be particularly beneficial to kids. According to medical study, children living with two or more dogs or cats in the household during infancy are less likely to have allergies by age six or seven . Pets also provide needed emotional support when a child is upset or troubled, and pets can help children develop empathy and responsibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.uldklyokol5u_l\">Pets and Older Adults<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Older adults often have more healthcare needs, but owning pets can help keep them healthier as they age. Adults 65 and older who have a pet are better able to maintain and improve their ability to handle activities of daily living, which means that owning a pet can help you live independently for longer. Pets also provide social companionship for senior adults, which is vital to psychological health and well being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.mcno4aeu9u2a_l\">Household Companions as Health Monitors<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you have a chronic condition or disability, pets can act as a health monitor and alert you or others to potential problems. In some cases, dogs can alert owners to an impending epileptic seizure or dangerous changes in blood sugar levels, according to a published medical report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sources:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>National Institute of Health, \u201cCan Pets Keep You Healthy?\u201d News in Health, February 2009<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Wells, Deborah L. \u201cDomestic Dogs and Human Health: An Overview.\u201d British Journal of Health Psychology, December 2010.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Raina, P; Waltner-Toews, D; Bonnett, B; Woodward, C; Abernathy, T. \u201cInfluence of Companion Animals on the Physical and Psychological Health of Older People: an Analysis of a One-Year Longitudinal Study.\u201d Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, March 1999.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Ownby, DR; Johnson, CC; Peterson, EL. \u201cExposure to Dogs and Cats in the First Year of Life and Risk of Allergic Sensitization at 6 to 7 Years of Age.\u201d Journal of the American Medical Association, August 2002.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Your pets provide companionship, unconditional love and plenty of smiles, but they also make you healthier just by living with you. The health benefits of owning a pet are both physical and psychological, and they extend throughout an owner\u2019s life. By keeping your furry companion healthy and happy, you\u2019re actually improving your own health and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[13,20,18,16,14],"class_list":["post-181","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-pet-ownership","tag-cat","tag-dog","tag-ownership","tag-pet-care","tag-pet-health"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Pet Ownership and Your Health - Tri City Veterinary Clinic<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/batsfordh.nastraining.com\/GCMW115Prj1-batsfordh\/2026\/05\/08\/pet-ownership-and-your-health\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Pet Ownership and Your Health - Tri City Veterinary Clinic\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Your pets provide companionship, unconditional love and plenty of smiles, but they also make you healthier just by living with you. 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