PET HEALTH MATTERS
www.pethealthcouncil.co.uk
www.nationalpetweek.org.uk
Spread a little animal magic during National Pet Week
.... and lap up the benefits
The Pet Health Council celebrates National Pet Week 30 April – 8 May 2005
The Pet Health Council (PHC) welcomes this year’s National Pet Week theme, ‘Best of Friends, Best of
Health’.
Dog-walking or playing with a cat is not only fun, but it’s also a great way of burning a few calories for
you and your pet. Contact with animals can bring real physiological and psychological benefits:
reducing stress, lowering blood pressure, aiding recovery and boosting chances of survival after a lifethreatening illness. To celebrate the week, the PHC has compiled the following facts which
demonstrate how pets can be your best ally to help keep you and your family in tip-top condition.
Puppy love is good for children
Children who live with a cat or dog in their first years of life have a lower incidence of hay
fever and asthma and are less likely to develop animal-related allergiesi.
A study found children from pet-owning families have significantly better school attendance
due to lower levels of absenteeism through illness than those from non-pet owning familiesii.
A pet all day keeps the doctor away
A large-scale survey of more than 11,000 Australians, Chinese and Germans proved that pet
owners enjoy better health than non-pet owners. Over a five year period, pet owners made 15 –
20% fewer annual visits to the doctor than non pet-owners. An American study found that men
who own cats or dogs have lower resting heart rates and blood pressure than those who don’tiii.
Stress-busting
Dog and cat owners also seem to suffer less mental and physical stress, and recover more
quickly from potentially stressful situationsiv.
A UK study exploring how pets could help recently widowed people in dealing with stress
found that three months after bereavement, pet owners showed fewer physical symptoms such
as crying, than non-pet ownersv. The pet owners were able to talk to their animals and confide in
them at a time when they did not feel able to share their feelings with other people.
A speedy recovery
Research indicates that owning a pet can improve a person’s chances of survival after a life-threatening
illness such as a heart attack.
A recent UK study of women between 50-60 years of age recovering from breast cancer found 87
per cent of the women reported that their pets filled at least one important role in their social
support. 43 per cent reported that that their pets fulfilled more than 10 important support
functions – being cared for, tactile comfort, an outlet for expression of feelings and still feeling
included socially – e.g. when taking the dog for a walkvi.
About National Pet Week
Each year the responsible pet ownership message is conveyed by running National Pet Week events
under a central theme. This year it is "Best of Friends - Best of Health". For further information, visit
www.nationalpetweek.org.uk.
References:
i Ref: June McNicholas, Society for Companion Animal Studies (SCAS) Annual Conference, October 2003
ii A study examining 256 children (aged five to eleven years) in three schools in England and Scotland revealed that pet-owning children
attended school for an additional three weeks of school compared to non-pet owning children (aged five to seven years). Children in reception
and Year 1 classes had 18 per cent and 13 per cent better attendance respectively than non-pet owning children. Ref: June McNicholas, Scotland,
10th International Conference on Human-Animal Interactions, October 2004
iii Results showed that the healthiest group – those who went to the doctor least – was that of people who continuously owned a pet. The next
healthiest group was those who had obtained a pet during the study period, not having had one before. The least healthy groups were people
who had never owned a pet, or no longer did so. Ref: Bruce Headey, Australia, 10th International Conference on Human-Animal Interactions, October
2004
iv Ref: “The healthy pleasure of their company: Roles of animals in enhancing human health and quality of life” – Karen Allen, University of New York at
Buffalo, USA, 1998
v Ref: “Pets as providers of social support: evidence from a longitudinal study of spousal bereavement” – June McNicholas, University of Warwick, UK,
1998
vi Ref: “The Role of Pets in The Support Networks of People Recovering from Breast Cancer”, June McNicholas, Glyn M. Collis, Chris Kent & Michelle
Rogers, 2001