Maximising Health with Pets: Celebrating Love Your Pet Day

Love Your Pet Day reminds us of the companionship and joy that pets can bring to your life. However, let’s go beyond treats and belly rubs and explore pet ownership in terms of lifestyle medicine. Lifestyle medicine involves improving nutrition, physical activity, good quality sleep, stress management and social connections.

Research has shown that owning a pet reduces stress and anxiety and improves heart health and emotional well-being. Please see our previous blog for more information; How Pets Can Improve Our Well-Being

The Power of Pets in Lifestyle Medicine

This blog is going to discuss how you can use lifestyle medicine to improve both yourself and your pet’s health. 

Nutrition

• Nutrition: For both humans and pets our bodies thrive on nutritious food. Each pet needs certain high-quality food based on their breed, age and activity level. Ensure fresh water is readily available and monitor how many treats you give them. Just like humans, when you regularly eat unhealthy, poor-quality food you feel sluggish and unwell. Your pet needs good nutrition in order to be happy and healthy.

Physical Activity

• Physical Activity: Daily walks and playtime are what pets crave. Not only does it help to burn off energy, but it also helps to strengthen their muscles and joints. Exercise also helps to stimulate your pet’s mind and therefore reduce destructive behaviours. 

Sleep

• Sleep: Consistent sleep routines and a calm and quiet environment are essential for your pet and yourself to get the optimal amount of good quality sleep. A well-rested owner and pet mean a happy household.

Social Connections

• Social Connections: Many studies have shown how owning a pet decreases loneliness and increases social interactions. Owning a pet can lead to you getting out more and meeting new people. Even getting more smiles from people while walking your dog!

Key Lifestyle Medicine Practices for You and Your Pet

Further lifestyle medicine practices that you can incorporate into your life with your pet are:

Mental Stimulation

• Mental Stimulation: Using food puzzles, interactive toys and having training sessions helps to prevent cognitive decline. Just like all the brain training apps people are using all over the world to help improve and maintain their cognitive ability. 

Preventative Care

• Preventative Care: We go to the doctor to get our blood pressure checked or have a health check to ensure everything is working as it should. This also needs to be done for your pet. Therefore vaccinations, vet check-ups and parasite prevention are important. A healthy pet means fewer vet bills and worries in the future.

In my previous blog, I discussed how we had just got a puppy called Chilli and all the ways he had benefitted our family. Chilli is now 1 year old (time flies!) and I look forward to the break in my day when we go for a lunchtime walk. We both get to exercise (no matter what the weather) and say hi to the now familiar faces of other dog owners taking their dogs for a walk. You can also guarantee that when you come home there is always Chilli running towards you, extremely happy that you are home. 

Conclusion on why love your pet day is important

In conclusion, lifestyle medicine is not only for you but also for your pets.  It is like a toolbox filled with non-pharmaceutical ways to optimize health and well-being. Love Your Pet Day is not just a great opportunity to celebrate the significant impact pets can have on our lives, but it is also an opportunity to commit to improving the well-being of our pets as well. 

References

The University of Manchester has conducted a study demonstrating the positive effects pets can have on individuals with long-term mental health conditions. This comprehensive review suggests pets can help their owners manage feelings, provide a powerful distraction from stress, and foster non-judgemental companionship, among other benefits. However, it also notes the need for individual care plans for patients to incorporate pet ownership as a therapeutic intervention. Evidence shows pets can help people with mental health problems –

The University of York conducted research indicating that pets played a significant role in maintaining better mental health and reducing loneliness during the COVID-19 lockdown. This study highlights how pets provided emotional support, helped keep their owners active, and, importantly, did not show a significant difference in the strength of the human-animal bond across different pet species. This could be an insightful addition to your discussion on the broad benefits of pet ownership Having pets linked to maintaining better mental health and reducing loneliness during lockdown, research shows

THANK YOU

Thank you for dedicating your time to read about Celebrating Love Your Pets Day; understanding such a critical aspect of mental health is essential. We’re here to provide you with the information you need. We invite you to explore our diverse collection of Blog posts for more insightful perspectives on topics that matter to you. From in-depth articles on health and wellness to enlightening pieces on current global issues, we strive to bring you content that informs, inspires, and engages.

Disclaimer: Please note our blogs are for informational purposes only and they do not substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult us at Extracellular or your doctor for further advice.