Owning a Dog May Increase Survival After a Heart Attack or Stroke By: Olivia Ekeland

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Anyone who has owned a dog or who has a dog now can probably agree with me that owning a dog changes your life. Not only do they have an undying love that makes your life 100x better, but they are also beneficial to a positive outcome regarding cardiovascular disease
Having a relationship with a dog can significantly lower the risk of death caused by a stroke or a heart attack. In addition, prior research proposes that people who don’t have a dog or don’t count their dog as a “family member” have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality. Anyone who had a heart attack between 2001-2012 and owned a dog had a 33% lower risk of dying after hospitalization as opposed to living alone and they had a 15% lower death risk if they lived with a partner or child and owned a dog. Researchers are convinced that owning a dog helps contribute to a lower death risk because dogs force people to become more physically active. They also have a calming effect on their owners. In addition, dogs help people feel less isolated and people experience less negative moods which are also beneficial towards a better health. The results show more positive effects of owning a dog for patients who had a heart attack or stroke in the past. However, some scientists believe that people shouldn’t be motivated to buy dogs for “medicine” without understanding what having a dog really means. Dog owners have a 24% less chance of a risk of all-cause mortality, 65% lower risk of death after a heart attack, and 31% less chance of a risk of death from cardiovascular causes. Additionally, having a dog increases its owner's physical exercise, lowering their blood pressure levels, and they have a better cholesterol profile.
(this is my dog Stella when she was around a year old)





Comments

  1. AnonymousOctober 23, 2019 at 10:03 AM

    I had no idea this was a concept! From your research, though, it sounds perfectly feasible. We'll never deserve our dogs.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousOctober 23, 2019 at 10:29 AM

    This concept proves why every kid should get to have a dog.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousOctober 23, 2019 at 4:27 PM

    I never thought about this before, but it totally makes sense! After all, "a dog is a man's best friend!"

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousOctober 24, 2019 at 9:29 AM

    Me: *has a heart attack*
    Olivia: maybe you should get a dog, you'll live longer
    Me: *gets a dog and dies of allergies*

    In all seriousness, this is a really cool idea. Who knew a dog could literally save your life?

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousOctober 27, 2019 at 12:07 PM

    Welp, that settles it. It's time for me to steal someone's dog. Any volunteers?

    ReplyDelete
  6. DanielleOctober 28, 2019 at 9:20 AM

    Very cool - We should all appreciate the dogs in our life!

    ReplyDelete
  7. AnonymousOctober 30, 2019 at 8:48 PM

    Maybe I can use this as concrete evidence to convince my mom to get me a dog! I love this - great job!

    ReplyDelete

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