admin     2013年7月11日 19:24

As of today, America’s major lifestyle tendencies, such as food or the focus on environmental issues and the overall emergence of medicine, has played a chief role on pets. The reason why such issues have been presented is because, as opposed to former examples, humans have started to treat pets as a member of the family, and hope they grow healthily; living a happy life. In year 1999, the American Animal Hospital Association found that: two out of three interviewees revealed that they brought their pets to the vet much more than the amount of times they went to private hospitals themselves; around 90% of the interviewees brought their pets to festive celebrations; over 40% said they brought their pets to outdoor recreational events; and nearly 20% of the interviewees brought their pets to massages or treatments. As of right now, more and more pet owners lean toward natural foods, full treatment, acupuncture, and vitamins. And for many dogs that are suffering from illnesses, their owners have started to choose ways to relieve their pains and have started to choose physical therapy and treatment of swimming.

With a change in way of life for us humans, our pets will be quite deeply affected, and the relationship between humans and pets actively affect us humans’ mental and psychological health. Research about pet food has been going on for a long time already. An early research project by the Pet Food Institute researched Barbara A. George’s “Human and Pet Relationship Psychology”. This piece explained pets and their effect on the human psychology. Fifteen years later, a couple of academic researchers, including medical doctor Aaron Katcher, Doctor Erika Friedman, Doctor Judith Siegel, Doctor Robert H. Poresky, and Doctor Victoria H. Raveis, did a more thorough examining. Most of this received support from the Delta Society and the Pet Food Institute, and these researches proved the once hypothetical “Human and Pet Relationship Psychology” correct. It recorded some examples, such as animal companionship, which caused fewer check ups with the internal medicine department, lowered their blood pressure, and pushed the pet and human to heal from serious illnesses like heart attacks. With the proof of research, owning pets help bring together relationships, build a strong self-esteem, increase the sense of independence, and can even lower blood pressure and remove cholesterol from the blood stream. These shocking discoveries initiated the interest of using pets to treat mental of psychological illness.

Our attention and care for pets improved out own mental health because this brought us the feeling of being needed, thus bringing us comfort. As for elderly, owning a pet that can return their love rather than owning one that is less emotional may be an important link to the outside world to them. When the pressure of life feels especially heavy, the amount of pet owners who seek help from doctors is much less than those who do not own pets. Owning pets can help stabilize emotion, help owners lessen or avoid being over-reactive over troubling issues, thus building a stronger immunity to illnesses.

For our pets to live longer and be by our sides longer, we should give them more psychological and health care and love. From now on, a little at a time, let our loved pets live a happier life!