Vet Rec. 1992 Apr 4;130(14):285-7.
Companion animals and human health.
Abstract
Pets,
or companion animals, are said to be good for people. Until recently
there has been little serious study of the effects on people's health of
their interactions with companion animals. This is in spite of the fact
that they have shared human lives for centuries and their beneficial
effects have been known for at least 200 years. This paper reviews the
ways in which companion animals have favourable effects on human health
and behaviour, for example, as guides for blind and deaf people, for
enriching the lives of long stay patients and for providing physical
activity like horse riding for the severely disabled. Current knowledge
of the effects of animals on human psychological, behavioural,
physiological and social development is reviewed, including the use of
animals in prison programmes. New findings in Australia show that pet
owners had marked reduction in risk factors related to cardiac disease
compared with non-owners. Other recent work has indicated that companion
animals are able to act as 'early warning systems' for acute human
conditions such as epileptic seizures.
- PMID:
- 1534428
- [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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