Abstracts or copies of most of the articles referenced below are available in the Health Benefits of Animals section of this web site.
Visits with a therapy dog helps heart and lung function by lowering pressures, diminishing release of harmful hormones and decreases anxiety with hospitalized heart failure patients. (Cole, 2005)
Displaying tanks of brightly colored fish may curtail disruptive behavior and improve eating habits of individuals with Alzheimer's disease. (Beck, 2002)
Presence of
a therapy dog can lower behavior distress in children
during a physical examination at a doctor’s
office and may be useful in a variety of healthcare
settings to decrease procedure-induced distress in
children. (Nagengast, 1997, Hansen, 1999).
Presence of a dog during dental
procedures can reduce the stress of children who are
distressed about coming to the dentist. (Havener, 2001)
Animal-assisted therapy can
effectively reduce the loneliness of residents in
long-term care facilities. (Banks, 2002).
People with borderline hypertension
had lower blood pressure on days they took their dogs
to work. (Allen, K. 2001).
Seniors who own dogs go to
the doctor less than those who do not. In a study
of 100 Medicare patients, even the most highly stressed
dog owners in the study has 21 percent fewer physician's
contacts than non-dog owners. (Siegel, 1990).
Activities
of daily living (ADL) level of seniors who did not
currently own pets deteriorated more on average than
that of respondents who currently owned pets. (Raina,
1999).
Seniors who
own pets coped better with stress life events without
entering the healthcare system. (Raina, 1998).
Pet owners
have lower blood pressure. (Friedmann, 1983, Anderson
1992).
Pet owners
have lower triglyceride and cholesterol levels than
non-owners (Anderson, 1992).
ACE inhibitors
lower resting blood pressure but they do not diminish
reactivity to mental stress. Pet ownership can lessen
cardiovascular reactivity to psychological stress
among hypertensive patients treated with a daily dose
of Lisinopril. (Allen, 1999).
Companionship
of pets (particularly dogs) helps children in families
adjust better to the serious illness and death of
a parent (Raveis, 1993).
Pet owners
feel less afraid of being a victim of crime when walking
with a dog or sharing a residence with a dog. (Serpel,
1990).
Pet owners
have fewer minor health problems (Friedmann, 1990,
Serpel, 1990).
Pet owners
have better psychological well-being (Serpel, 1990).
Contact with
pets develops nurturing behavior in children who may
grow to be more nurturing adults (Melson, 1990).
Pet owners
have a higher on-year survival rates following coronary
heart disease (Friedman, 1980, 1995).
Medication
costs dropped from an average of $3.80 per patient
per day to just $1.18 per patient per day in new nursing
home facilities in New York, Missouri and Texas that
have animals and plants as an integral part of the
environment. (Montague, 1995).
Pets in nursing
homes increase social and verbal interactions adjunct
to other therapy. (Fick, 1992).
Pet owners
have better physical health due to exercise with their
pets. (Serpel, 1990).
Having a pet
may decrease heart attack mortality by 3%. This translates
into 30,000 lives saved annually (Friedman, 1980).
Dogs are preventive
and therapeutic measures against everyday stress (Allen,
1991).
Pets decrease
feeling of loneliness and isolation (Kidd, 1994).
Children exposed
to humane education programs display enhanced empathy
for humans compared with children not exposed to such
programs. (Ascione, 1992).
Positive self-esteem
of children is enhanced by owning a pet. (Bergensen,
1989).
Children's
cognitive development can be enhanced by owning a
pet. (Poresky, 1988).
70% of families
surveyed reported an increase in family happiness
and fun subsequent to pet acquisition. (Cain, 1985).
The presence
of a dog during a child's physical examination decreases
their stress. (Nadgengast, 1997, Baun, 1998).
Children owning
pets are more involved in activities such as sports,
hobbies, clubs or chores. (Melson, 1990).
Children exposed
to pets during the first year of life have a lower
frequency of allergic rhintis and asthma. (Hesselmar,
1999).
Children with
autism have more prosocial behaviors less autistic
behaviors such as self-absorption. (Redefer, 1989).
Children who
own pets score significantly higher on empathy and
prosocial orientation scales than non-owners. (Vidovic,
1999).
Pets fulfill
many of the same support functions as humans for adults
and children. (Melson, 1998).
People who have AIDS that have pets
have less depression and reduced stress. Pets are
a major source of support and increase perception
the ability to cope. (Siegel, 1999, Carmack, 1991).
