Study recommends leveraging love of pets for better human health

Posted May 20, 2010

By Karen Thomas

Daniela Trnka, study participant, her Siberian Husky, Cooper, and Melanie Rock, PhD A study published in the latest edition of Anthrozoös finds that as pet owners learn about their pet's diabetes, they apply what they learn to their own health – and vice-versa.

"What we see here is a significant public health opportunity," says Melanie Rock, PhD, a population health researcher at UCalgary. "Pets are increasingly important in the lives of Canadians – more than half of Canadian households have a pet. We want to leverage this powerful cultural trend towards better human health."

Rock's interviews with pet owners demonstrate that people tend to blur the lines between what they learn about their dog or cat's health, and their own health, including physical activity, diet, and stress management.

Calgarian Daniela Trnka, a participant in the study, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes 20 years ago. When she saw signs of diabetes in her Siberian Husky, Cooper, she pulled out her own blood sugar testing kit to investigate his blood sugar levels. "His blood sugar was 22 – so I knew right away that it was diabetes." Cooper's veterinarian confirmed the diagnosis, and Cooper has been taking insulin medication ever since.

"Having diabetes myself, I take really good care of Cooper. I watch him closely to make sure he doesn't crash. We have wonderful walks down by the river and I am really disciplined with his food," says Trnka. "Cooper brings a smile to my face every morning. Having to test his blood sugar gets me out of bed to test my own levels. On a cold, windy day, he gets me outside in the fresh air because I know the exercise is good for him. And that's good for me too."

The research included interviews with 16 pet owners, six veterinarians, a mental health counselor, and a pharmacist. Rock's team finds that because people care deeply about their pets' health, they take seriously how best to care for them, and take what their vet recommends to heart. "Pet care is an important way that people are acquiring and processing information about health," says Rock.

"I wish we could simply recommend that doctors prescribe pets for the health of their owners," says Rock. "But it's not that straight forward. Not everyone can afford a dog or cat. In fact, the very people at risk for Type 2 diabetes often struggle with poverty, work two jobs, don't feel safe walking in their neighbourhood, or cannot have pets because their rental situation will not allow it."

Rock's team recommends that veterinarians be included in public health initiatives, and, that family doctors consider pets an important educational and motivational tool in talking with people about their own health.

"I believe this is the first study to explore how caring for sick pets can impact human health," says Anthony Podberscek, PhD, a veterinarian at the Centre for Animal Welfare & Anthrozoology, University of Cambridge, and, editor of Anthrozoös, a multidisciplinary journal of the interactions between animals and people. "Companion animals play an important role in many people's lives. Doctors and veterinarians should capitalize on this to promote better health in both animals and people."

This research was supported by funding from Alberta Innovates – Health Solutions, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, and the Petro-Canada Young Innovator Award in Community Health.