Our four-legged friends have long been praised for their ability to help mental wellbeing, reducing anxiety and loneliness.

"Dogs are not only man's best friend, but also may be the key to living a longer life, a new study claims. Our four-legged friends have long been praised for their ability to help mental wellbeing, reducing anxiety and loneliness, but less has been reported about how they might have a positive effect on physical health.

Combining patient data of 3.8 million people from multiple studies, including England, researchers found owning a dog can lead to better cardiovascular outcomes, especially for heart attack and stroke survivors who live alone. Scientists at the American Heart Association say that compared to those without a pet dog, owners experienced a 24 per cent reduced risk of all-cause mortality and are 65 per cent less likely to die after a heart attack.

Those who had suffered cardiovascular-related issues were also 31 per cent less likely to pass away.

The results support a separate study carried out by Sweden's Uppsala University, which showed a 33 per cent reduced risk of death for heart attack patients living alone after being released from hospital if they owned a dog.

A similar drop was seen among stroke patients once they were discharged, at 27 per cent lower than those without a dog.

"These two studies provide good, quality data indicating dog ownership is associated with reduced cardiac and all-cause mortality," said Glenn N Levine, from the American Heart Association.

Full article HERE
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Dog ownership associated with longer life, especially among heart attack and stroke survivors.

"Researchers in this study compared the health outcomes of dog owners and non-owners after a heart attack or stroke using health data provided by the Swedish National Patient Register. Patients studied were Swedish residents ages 40-85 who experienced heart attack or ischemic stroke from 2001-2012.

Compared to people who did not own a dog, researchers found that for dog owners:
•The risk of death for heart attack patients living alone after hospitalization was 33% lower, and 15% lower for those living with a partner or child.
•The risk of death for stroke patients living alone after hospitalization was 27% lower and 12% lower for those living with a partner or child.

In the study, nearly 182,000 people were recorded to have had a heart attack, with almost 6% being dog owners, and nearly 155,000 people were recorded to have had an ischemic stroke, with almost 5% being dog owners. Dog ownership was confirmed by data from the Swedish Board of Agriculture (registration of dog ownership has been mandatory since 2001) and the Swedish Kennel Club (all pedigree dogs have been registered since 1889)".

Full article HERE

Nobody asked us ........ having been 'with Basset' since 1972, my husband had a major bleed stroke in 2005.   And everytime I look at my Savings account, which funds my vet bills, I have a HEART ATTACK.    Further, when my Basset wakes me at 5 am, which he insists in doing, my BP goes through the roof .......................... positive effects of owning my dogs?   Really!

I am convinced all the very very long strenuous walks I did with my two weimaraners are why I now have  badly arthritic knees

Haha yes, it's pretty stressful taking my bunch of idiots for a walk, mostly thanks to the ridiculous noises they make while I'm getting leads and collars on and getting my bumbag with poo bags etc. Not to mention the complaints from hubby about going to too many dog shows!