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This week, Joe and Terry Graedon welcome your stories and questions about living with animals. Does a cat purring on your lap help you calm down after a hectic day? Has walking the dog become a part of your exercise routine? Tell us about your pets at 888-472-3366 between 7 and 8 am EST. Or send us your stories ahead of time: radio@peoplespharmacy.com. Veterinarian Chuck Miller and veterinary technician Kevlin Swepston will be answering your questions and responding to your reports.
You could listen through your local public radio station or get the live stream at 7 am EDT on your computer or smart phone (wunc.org). Here is a link so you can find which stations carry our broadcast. If you can’t listen to the broadcast, you may wish to hear the podcast later. You can subscribe through your favorite podcast provider, download the mp3 using the link at the bottom of the page, or listen to the stream on this post starting on March 25, 2023.
The Healing Power of Pets:
On March 16, 2024, Scott Simon described on Weekend Edition how his family’s life has been taken over by animals: a French poodle, a white cat, a hamster. Many of us share our homes with animals and wouldn’t have it any other way. Despite occasional challenges (Scott Simon’s dog Daisy ate a chocolate bar and needed emergency veterinary care!), our animal friends enrich our lives. Research shows that dog owners are more likely to survive a heart attack or stroke (Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, Oct. 8, 2019). Previous studies have shown that people who live with dogs usually get more exercise, so that may be part of the picture. But it may not be the whole story.
Dogs and cats are not the only creatures to share our homes. Fish tanks are popular, and research shows that watching fish swim in an aquarium might help humans relax. Heart rate and blood pressure drops (PLoS One, July 29, 2019). Some people feel that their fish offer companionship, although it is unclear that the fish feel the same way.
How Do Pets Affect Our Health?
Some scientific studies have focused on harmful pathogens that animals and humans in the same household might share. But one study that examined the microbiome of pet owners found a decrease in pathogenic bacteria and an increase in beneficial bacteria (Research in Veterinary Science, March 11, 2024). Researchers point out that in the last several decades, people have changed the way they treat their pets and that research is still struggling to catch up with the impacts on both human and animal health.
The Amazing Ability of Dogs to Sniff Out Danger:
Dogs have a highly developed sense of smell, which is their primary way of experiencing the world. As a result, people have found that dogs can be trained to detect tell-tale odors from a range of cancers, including melanoma, lung cancer, colorectal cancer, prostate cancer or breast cancer. With training, dogs can also learn to detect infections with a high degree of accuracy. During the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers were able to train dogs to detect COVID infections quickly. A few airports utilized this capability to screen air travelers.
Dogs may also be able to alert people to episodes of hypoglycemia or epileptic seizures. Very few of our household pets are actually providing these important medical services, but in many cases they could.
Welcoming Therapy Animals:
Some hospitals, including Duke, maintain a program that allows certain patients to interact with therapy animals. These specially trained pets (usually dogs) provide companionship, cheer and a reminder of home. The coordinator of Duke’s pet therapy program for cancer patients joins us to answer questions.
Please tell us about your household companions. How do you see human-animal interactions affecting your health? You can email us before or during the show: radio@peoplespharmacy.com. You can also call 888-472-3366 between 7:00 and 7:50 am EST on Saturday, March 23, 2024.
This Week’s Guests:
Charles Miller, DVM, is the owner of Triangle Veterinary Hospital in Durham, North Carolina. Dr. Miller has been serving the pets and animal owners of the area for 32 years. His website is https://trianglevet.com/
Charles Miller, DVM
Kevlin Swepston, RVT, is the coordinator for Oncology Volunteer Services & Pets at Duke. She serves as the primary contact for pet therapy at Duke Health by overseeing the Pets at Duke program’s operations including initial and ongoing evaluations of therapy dog teams. Kevlin ensures that therapy dog teams provide patients with vital companionship, develop and maintain physical function, emotional support, and are a welcomed distraction throughout their time at Duke.
Kevlin Swepston, RVT
Listen to the Podcast:
The podcast of this program will be available Monday, March 25, 2024, after broadcast on March 23. You can stream the show from this site and download the podcast for free.
Kirsten
I would love to have another pet, but now that I am retired, the costs associated with keeping a pet are prohibitive. I considered becoming a volunteer at the local shelter, but seeing so many pets in stress is too stressful for me.
David
Interesting podcast. One comment was brought to me about service dogs and anxiety. Many people ignore the special service harness and come over and pet the dog in spite of the fact that the harness states that you need to leave the dog alone. This does have the effect of increasing anxiety in patients with anxiety disorder.
On a different note I read somewhere (suspect Reader’s digest) about a pet dog that never licked his owner’s face and suddenly started doing it out of nowhere. The owner was thinking about taking the dog back to obedience school but had an appointment he needed to go to for dermatology. The dermatologist found a metastatic cancer on his face and the dog saved his life.
Jessica
I live with multiple indoor cats. If I don’t feel well, they cuddle me and purr. One cat sleeps on my pillow and purrs me to sleep every night. They all coming running, chirping and meowing, when we come home after work. One very vocal cat meows a “thank you” whenever we feed her. One cat brings all of his toys into our bedroom every night, and presents them to us as gifts. I couldn’t live without all this furry love!
Ariel
My Emotional Support pet passed during covid. Many pet rescue facilities are telling me that I am too OLD to have a pet.
I agree they help with mental and physical health.
I also wish that Emotional Support animals would be recognized in all places in which Disability Support animals are recognized.
I am hoping someday someone will take this up and help gain public attention for this situation.
I was kicked out of an ENT office because they said my Emotional Support animal was a PET. Emotional support animals = UNITE.
Barbara
You mentioned dogs, cats, fish and other (unspecified) pet animals. Don’t forget about birds, especially budgies (aka ‘parakeets’ in the US). Budgies are cute, smart, very sociable, and qualify as Emotional Support Animals.
Signed,
Budgie Lover
Steve
I always knew when my wife was having problems. One cat was by her side all the time and slept with her. If the second cat was allowed on her bed she was not well. When she passed I found three of her companions toys by her chest. When I came to sit at her bed the other cat sat at the end of the bed and sang with a howling voice for several minutes. It was so moving. They were so comforting. Then rubbing at my legs, sat with me and many things to comfort me.
Jim
My cat (12lb male) comes in and lays tight to my side when I feel poorly (in bed). He has done this several times. If I am ok he never does this.
Cat
I believe that pets are good for your mental health – especially dogs. We’ve had ours for two years. He showed up in our garage and wouldn’t leave two years after losing our 14 year old son to suicide. He has been a blessing to our family and is spoiled rotten – went from being a lost stray to a happy house dog! They are such good companions and love their humans unconditionally.
https://namica.org/blog/how-dogs-can-help-us-maintain-mental-health/
Carey
My cat sitter friend is a type-1 diabetic who wears an insulin pump. More than once the cats in her care have awakened when her blood sugar was getting dangerously low. They may have saved her life.