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How Your Pet Can Make You Healthy: 5 Ways Your Cat Or Dog Can Make You Live Longer
Just in case you need an excuse to adopt a dog, cat or other pet — they can make you healthier! Here are five ways your pet could help you live longer.
1. Pet pain away.
![de andre bush roycwaehk unsplash](https://media.morninghoney.com/brand-img/ANg3RNerv/480x252/de-andre-bush-1royc4waehk-unsplash-1-1696884121583.jpg 480w, https://media.morninghoney.com/brand-img/ANg3RNerv/640x335/de-andre-bush-1royc4waehk-unsplash-1-1696884121583.jpg 640w, https://media.morninghoney.com/brand-img/ANg3RNerv/768x402/de-andre-bush-1royc4waehk-unsplash-1-1696884121583.jpg 768w, https://media.morninghoney.com/brand-img/ANg3RNerv/1024x536/de-andre-bush-1royc4waehk-unsplash-1-1696884121583.jpg 1024w, https://media.morninghoney.com/brand-img/ANg3RNerv/1280x670/de-andre-bush-1royc4waehk-unsplash-1-1696884121583.jpg 1280w, https://media.morninghoney.com/brand-img/ANg3RNerv/1440x754/de-andre-bush-1royc4waehk-unsplash-1-1696884121583.jpg 1440w, https://media.morninghoney.com/brand-img/ANg3RNerv/1600x838/de-andre-bush-1royc4waehk-unsplash-1-1696884121583.jpg 1600w, https://media.morninghoney.com/brand-img/ANg3RNerv/2160x1131/de-andre-bush-1royc4waehk-unsplash-1-1696884121583.jpg 2160w)
“Petting your animal releases endorphins, and they’re powerful pain relievers,” says Rebecca A. Johnson, Ph.D., of the University of Missouri’s Research Center for Human-Animal Interaction. And Loyola Chicago researchers found that joint replacement surgery patients used less pain medication when they received pet therapy.
2. Get heart healthy.
![alex meier kgiqfgfdkc unsplash](https://media.morninghoney.com/brand-img/a7XMZVQJh/480x252/alex-meier-kgiqfgf7dkc-unsplash-1696884338135.jpg 480w, https://media.morninghoney.com/brand-img/a7XMZVQJh/640x336/alex-meier-kgiqfgf7dkc-unsplash-1696884338135.jpg 640w, https://media.morninghoney.com/brand-img/a7XMZVQJh/768x403/alex-meier-kgiqfgf7dkc-unsplash-1696884338135.jpg 768w, https://media.morninghoney.com/brand-img/a7XMZVQJh/1024x537/alex-meier-kgiqfgf7dkc-unsplash-1696884338135.jpg 1024w, https://media.morninghoney.com/brand-img/a7XMZVQJh/1280x671/alex-meier-kgiqfgf7dkc-unsplash-1696884338135.jpg 1280w, https://media.morninghoney.com/brand-img/a7XMZVQJh/1440x755/alex-meier-kgiqfgf7dkc-unsplash-1696884338135.jpg 1440w, https://media.morninghoney.com/brand-img/a7XMZVQJh/1600x839/alex-meier-kgiqfgf7dkc-unsplash-1696884338135.jpg 1600w, https://media.morninghoney.com/brand-img/a7XMZVQJh/2160x1133/alex-meier-kgiqfgf7dkc-unsplash-1696884338135.jpg 2160w)
Studies say heart attack patients with pets survive longer than those without them. Health benefits from pets include decreased blood pressure, cholesterol levels and triglyceride levels.
3. Start a new leash on life.
![laurent mandine lszbnig unsplash](https://media.morninghoney.com/brand-img/v-2m3goom/480x252/laurent-mandine-ls4z2bni33g-unsplash-1696884047901.jpg 480w, https://media.morninghoney.com/brand-img/v-2m3goom/640x336/laurent-mandine-ls4z2bni33g-unsplash-1696884047901.jpg 640w, https://media.morninghoney.com/brand-img/v-2m3goom/768x403/laurent-mandine-ls4z2bni33g-unsplash-1696884047901.jpg 768w, https://media.morninghoney.com/brand-img/v-2m3goom/1024x537/laurent-mandine-ls4z2bni33g-unsplash-1696884047901.jpg 1024w, https://media.morninghoney.com/brand-img/v-2m3goom/1280x671/laurent-mandine-ls4z2bni33g-unsplash-1696884047901.jpg 1280w, https://media.morninghoney.com/brand-img/v-2m3goom/1440x755/laurent-mandine-ls4z2bni33g-unsplash-1696884047901.jpg 1440w, https://media.morninghoney.com/brand-img/v-2m3goom/1600x839/laurent-mandine-ls4z2bni33g-unsplash-1696884047901.jpg 1600w, https://media.morninghoney.com/brand-img/v-2m3goom/2160x1133/laurent-mandine-ls4z2bni33g-unsplash-1696884047901.jpg 2160w)
National Institutes of Health-funded research showed that some 2,000 adults who walked their dogs regularly were in better shape and less likely to become obese than those who didn’t.
4. Keep calm.
![yerlin matu gtwibmtjvau unsplash](https://media.morninghoney.com/brand-img/E5IUKAaNx/480x252/yerlin-matu-gtwibmtjvau-unsplash-1696884233520.jpg 480w, https://media.morninghoney.com/brand-img/E5IUKAaNx/640x335/yerlin-matu-gtwibmtjvau-unsplash-1696884233520.jpg 640w, https://media.morninghoney.com/brand-img/E5IUKAaNx/768x402/yerlin-matu-gtwibmtjvau-unsplash-1696884233520.jpg 768w, https://media.morninghoney.com/brand-img/E5IUKAaNx/1024x536/yerlin-matu-gtwibmtjvau-unsplash-1696884233520.jpg 1024w, https://media.morninghoney.com/brand-img/E5IUKAaNx/1280x670/yerlin-matu-gtwibmtjvau-unsplash-1696884233520.jpg 1280w, https://media.morninghoney.com/brand-img/E5IUKAaNx/1440x754/yerlin-matu-gtwibmtjvau-unsplash-1696884233520.jpg 1440w, https://media.morninghoney.com/brand-img/E5IUKAaNx/1600x838/yerlin-matu-gtwibmtjvau-unsplash-1696884233520.jpg 1600w, https://media.morninghoney.com/brand-img/E5IUKAaNx/2160x1131/yerlin-matu-gtwibmtjvau-unsplash-1696884233520.jpg 2160w)
A review of 69 studies found that human-animal interaction had a positive effect on socializing and mental health, including self-reported fear and anxiety.
5. Fetch a diagnosis.
![helena lopes xbnckqrrd unsplash](https://media.morninghoney.com/brand-img/aFge5Ddtv/480x252/helena-lopes-xbnckqrrd0-unsplash-1696884037925.jpg 480w, https://media.morninghoney.com/brand-img/aFge5Ddtv/640x335/helena-lopes-xbnckqrrd0-unsplash-1696884037925.jpg 640w, https://media.morninghoney.com/brand-img/aFge5Ddtv/768x402/helena-lopes-xbnckqrrd0-unsplash-1696884037925.jpg 768w, https://media.morninghoney.com/brand-img/aFge5Ddtv/1024x536/helena-lopes-xbnckqrrd0-unsplash-1696884037925.jpg 1024w, https://media.morninghoney.com/brand-img/aFge5Ddtv/1280x670/helena-lopes-xbnckqrrd0-unsplash-1696884037925.jpg 1280w, https://media.morninghoney.com/brand-img/aFge5Ddtv/1440x754/helena-lopes-xbnckqrrd0-unsplash-1696884037925.jpg 1440w, https://media.morninghoney.com/brand-img/aFge5Ddtv/1600x838/helena-lopes-xbnckqrrd0-unsplash-1696884037925.jpg 1600w, https://media.morninghoney.com/brand-img/aFge5Ddtv/2160x1131/helena-lopes-xbnckqrrd0-unsplash-1696884037925.jpg 2160w)
Thanks to their superior sense of smell, many dogs have the ability to detect breast and lung cancer with remarkable accuracy. Furry fiends can also be trained to monitor health changes in diabetics, narcoleptics and migraine sufferers.