Pet talk

By Bud Stuart, DVM

Animal companionship is a year-round gift

We are now reaching the end of the season that is known for the spirit of giving. I’m sure that those of you who observe the holiday custom of exchange of gifts are probably happy that it is over for another year. No matter how much fun and festivities we take part in, it is rather consuming of our time and energies. So just to give you all a much needed pick-me-up after the holiday, I’d like to share these thoughts with you. They are about the gifts we receive from our pets; many of which we are not even aware of.

Obviously, one of the major gifts we receive is the companionship, love and affection which our pets give to us all year long. Someone once said that, “Your dog is the only creature on earth that loves you more than it loves itself.” Those of us who have been lucky enough to have the presence of a great dog, big or little, in our lives, know how true that is.

Every human health practitioner that deals with senior patients will have many stories of how important a pet is in the life of our older citizens, many of whom live alone. It may be a furry face that looks back at you, but just to have another living creature to talk to and come home to is oh-so-good for the human psyche. Can’t recall how many times I have had an older client tell me that if it was not for walking the dog they’d get very little opportunity to get exercise themselves.

On the other end of the age scale are the benefits to children from having pets in their lives. As a child I know I gained many lessons in responsibility from the care of my tropical fish tank. Cleanliness, feeding, water temperature, aquatic plants, type of sand or gravel, etc. were all under my control and demanded my intelligent attention. In addition, our old dog Spot needed regular care and exercise. You can’t be a goof-off when you have pets dependent on you for their care and welfare.

Another child related aspect of pet ownership deals with the field of allergy. In just the last few years it has been determined that children who grow up on farms or in households which include pets, are much less likely to have allergy or asthma throughout their lives. Now there’s a gift worth having! Besides the allergy freedom, think how much most allergy sufferers would save in antihistamine costs alone.

And those of you with problems related to elevated blood pressure might find this fact of interest. Studies have shown that just placing your cat in your lap and petting it for 5 to 10 minutes will lower your blood pressure substantially. That sure beats all those high price drugs that are supposed to do the same thing. Be sure you thank kitty for that gift the next time she gives it to you.

Here in the Santa Barbara area we have a great many pets who regularly visit patients in hospitals, as well as many shut in’s, to give the gift of someone caring. It is remarkable how these little furry friends can reach patients where conventional medicine can’t. There have been numerous cases where people who have not spoken for months would give their first words to a wet nosed visitor.

This column would have to be book length in order to cover all the gifts we receive from our pets. Dr. McDonald and I will be on KTMS 990 AM, Saturday, Dec. 27, to discuss a few more of them. Be sure to tune in. Meanwhile I send along my best wishes you and yours this holiday season.

Bud Stuart, D.V.M., is a local veterinarian and owner of Fairview Pet Clinic. He stresses nutrition and preventative medicine. He can be contacted at 964.4412.