Benefit # 6
Fewer heart attacks

Fewer heart attacks

Scientific research has shown that owning a pet lowers the risk of a heart attack. That’s because pet owners tend to have lower blood pressure, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels than people who don’t own a pet. Plus, owning a pet decreases stress levels too, another factor in heart health.

One study found heart attack patients with pets survive longer than those without. Another study found that one year after a heart attack, dog owners had a significantly better survival rate compared to heart attack victims without a pet. And dog owners were 8.6 times more likely to still be alive one year after a heart attack than people who didn’t own a dog.

Interesting fact

According to the Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI), people who owned a cat were 40 per cent less likely to die of a heart attack than those without a cat.