Pets & your wellbeing

Touching and being with animals has been linked to lower cortisol and lower blood pressure. Many people find the slow, steady rhythm of stroking a pet soothing, a bit like a breathing exercise for your hands.

In a review of studies on people living with mental health conditions, owners described pets as giving comfort, affection and acceptance without judgment. Some said they could confide in their pet when it was hard to talk to people.

The Human Animal Bond Research Institute sums up the research this way: time with animals is linked with less anxiety and low mood, and with body changes like a lower heart rate and blood pressure. Harvard Health adds that simply petting a dog and looking into its eyes may help lower blood pressure.

Try it

• Match your breathing to a sleeping pet’s slow breaths.
• Sit with your pet for five minutes and focus only on how its fur feels.
• Watch fish swim for a few minutes and notice their movement.

Pets need feeding, walking and care at the same times every day. People in research studies said this daily structure helped them, and that caring for a pet gave them a sense of purpose, self-worth and hope.

Some also said their pet helped distract them from hard thoughts and feelings, simply by needing their attention.

In a separate study of people living with long-term mental health conditions, pets gave owners a sense of control, safety and meaning. Being a “good pet owner” also became a proud part of who they were.

A dog on a leash is an easy reason for strangers to say hello. In research, pet owners said their animals helped them start conversations and build friendships, for example with other dog walkers.

Ideas

• Chat at the dog park, pet store or vet’s waiting room
• Join a local pet club or online group for your kind of animal
• Walk the same route at the same time to meet the regulars

Dogs need regular walks, which can mean more exercise and time outdoors for their owners. Regular walking and play with a pet are also linked to better heart health, like lower blood pressure.

Harvard Health reports that dog owners tend to get more exercise than people without dogs. In one small study of 43 pairs of older adults, the dog owners took about 2,670 more steps a day than people without dogs.

Owning a dog does not guarantee walks, though. A review of 31 key studies estimated that only about 60% of dog owners walk their dog at all. The strongest reason people do walk is the bond with their dog: a sense of duty to it, and the motivation it gives them.

Walks in a park or other green space may also help relieve stress. A pet that needs a walk can be the nudge that gets you out of the door on a low day.

The CDC notes that pets may help older adults with better thinking skills (cognitive function), as well as company and more time spent active and social.

Things to think about

• Choose an animal that matches your energy and mobility
• Have a plan for who can help if you are unwell or away
• Smaller pets, like a cat, bird or fish, can be easier to care for

The CDC lists the things to look into first: how long the animal lives, how big it gets, what it eats, the housing it needs, how much exercise it needs and what vet care costs.

Questions to ask yourself

• Can I care for this animal for its whole life, which may be many years?
• Do I have the space it needs, inside and out?
• How much daily exercise and attention can I really give?
• Who will look after it if I travel or get sick?

The ASPCA estimated (using 2021 figures) that the first year with a dog costs about $3,221 and with a cat about $1,904, including set-up costs. After that, yearly costs were about $1,391 for a dog and $1,149 for a cat. Prices vary by place and have likely gone up since.

Costs people forget

• Emergency vet visits
• Pet-sitting or boarding when you travel
• Pet deposits or fees where you live
• Replacing chewed or scratched things
• Training classes

The CDC says some groups are more likely to get sick from germs spread between animals and people: young children, people with weakened immune systems, and adults 65 and older. Think about who lives in your home and who will do the caring.

Pediatricians advise against reptiles like turtles for children under 5, because they often carry salmonella germs. If a child has asthma, eczema or allergies, ask their doctor before getting a pet.

Pediatricians note that a calm adult animal can be a better fit for families than a frisky puppy or kitten. The same is often true for anyone with limited time, energy or mobility.

Lower-effort options people consider

• A calm older cat
• Fish in a well-kept tank
• Fostering first, to see how pet care fits your life
• Pet-sitting for a friend

If money, housing, health or time aren’t right just now, waiting is a responsible choice. You can still enjoy animals in other ways, like volunteering at a shelter, fostering or walking a neighbor’s dog.

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a service animal is a dog that has been individually trained to do work or perform tasks for a person with a disability. The task must be directly related to that disability.

This includes some psychiatric service dogs. For example, a dog trained to sense that an anxiety attack is coming and take a specific action to help would count. A dog whose presence simply feels calming would not.

In public places, staff may only ask

• Is the dog a service animal required because of a disability?
• What work or task has the dog been trained to perform?

Emotional support animals give comfort through their presence. Because they are not trained to do a specific task, they are not service animals under the ADA, so they don’t have the same right to go into stores and restaurants.

Some state and local laws treat them differently. Federal rules for flying and renting with an emotional support animal have changed in recent years, so see “Flying and renting with an animal” below, and check the current rules where you live.

Therapy animals, often dogs, visit places like hospitals, nursing homes and schools with their handlers to bring comfort and a friendly break. They are not service animals under the ADA.

Researchers are still studying how animal visits affect health, including how to keep them safe in hospitals, where animals could bring in germs.

In animal-assisted programs, a trained handler brings an animal into a care or learning setting as part of a plan. NIH has studied human-animal interaction since 2008. At the NIH Clinical Center, the country’s largest research hospital, therapy dogs comfort some patients during their stays, and researchers have studied whether dog visits can ease stress, loneliness and anxiety in children with cancer, and whether the visits are safe for their immune systems.

In an NIH-funded study at Purdue University, researchers looked at whether playing with guinea pigs in the classroom helped autistic children feel calmer and more engaged with others, and found that it did.

NIH researchers are honest that there are still many unanswered questions. Some studies show good effects, but results overall are mixed.

Questions to ask a program

• How are the animal’s health and welfare looked after?
• How does this fit with the rest of my care?
• What happens if I have allergies or feel nervous around animals?
• Who handles the animal, and what training do they have?

Since 2021, U.S. airlines no longer have to treat emotional support animals as service animals, and may treat them as pets. For air travel, a service animal is a dog individually trained to do work or perform tasks for a person with a disability. Psychiatric service dogs are treated the same as other trained service dogs.

Housing rules for emotional support animals have been changing in recent years, and they can differ by state, city and landlord.

The ASPCA points out that it’s much more expensive, and riskier, to treat illness than to prevent it. Regular check-ups can catch problems early.

ASPCA money-saving ideas

• Brush your pet’s teeth at home with pet-safe products
• Do simple grooming at home, like brushing and nail trims
• Look for low-cost or free spay and neuter programs nearby
• Look into pet health insurance while your pet is still healthy, and read the details carefully
• Talk with your vet about which vaccines are essential or required by law

Sometimes life changes in ways that make pet care impossible: a move, illness, money trouble or a new baby. Contacting a shelter or rescue to rehome your pet safely is a caring choice, not a failure.

Gentle steps

• Ask your vet or shelter what support exists first. A short-term fix may let you keep your pet
• Be honest about your pet’s habits and needs so the new home is a good match
• Let yourself feel sad. Rehoming is a real loss, too

• A clean litter box, or a short trip outside
• A few minutes of gentle attention
• Any vet care your pet needs
• Food at roughly the usual times
• Fresh water

• Ask someone to walk your dog a couple of times a week
• Ask your vet or local shelter about low-cost care or pet food banks
• Set up automatic deliveries of food and litter if you can
• Swap pet-sitting with a neighbour

Worrying about who will care for a pet can stop some people from getting the care they need, like staying in hospital. A written plan can ease that worry.

What to include

• A spare key arrangement
• Feeding amounts, routines and any vet care instructions
• Two people who can step in, and their phone numbers
• Where food, leads and carriers are kept
• Your vet’s name and number

• Brush your cat or rabbit slowly and notice the feel of the fur
• Sit with your pet and match your breathing to theirs
• Step outside with your dog, even just to the end of the street
• Talk to your pet about your day out loud

Pet owners in research named real stresses: costs, housing limits, difficult behavior and guilt about not doing enough. When someone is unwell, these can pile up fast.

Ways to help

• Help them find low-cost vet care or a trainer
• Help them make a backup plan for who will care for their pet
• If they must rehome a pet, support them without judgment
• Offer to walk their dog or feed their cat on hard days
• Pet-sit so they can go to an appointment or rest

Pets may help older adults stay active and social, and support thinking skills. But care can get harder with age or illness, and people 65 and older can be more likely to get sick from germs animals carry.

Ways to help

• Agree on who will care for the pet if they go into hospital
• Join them for a short daily walk
• Remind them about handwashing and vet checkups
• Take on the heavier jobs, like big bags of food or litter

Losing a pet can hurt as much as losing a person, and grief can even show up in the body. A simple “I’m so sorry, they were such a big part of your life” can mean a lot.

Helping with someone else’s animals takes time and energy. It is okay to say what you can and can’t do. Offer specific help (“I can walk him on Tuesdays”) rather than open-ended promises.

The CDC recommends regular vet visits and vaccines to keep pets healthy, and talking to a vet about the best pet for your household.

A vet or trainer can help with

• Behavior problems like barking, chewing or fear
• Changes in eating, sleeping or energy
• Questions about an aging or sick pet
• Low-cost care options in your area

• Ask a local shelter or rescue about low-cost care, pet food banks or safe rehoming
• Ask family, friends or neighbors for specific help
• Fill in the “My pet’s hard-day plan” worksheet so a helper knows what to do

If low mood, anxiety or stress make daily life hard, including caring for your pet, talking to a counselor or your clinical provider can help. Your pet can be part of your support, not all of it.

In the U.S., you can call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, free and 24/7. You can also text HOME to 741741 to reach Crisis Text Line.

findahelpline.com lists free, confidential helplines by country. If someone is in immediate danger, call your local emergency number.