Get a Pet---Doctor's Orders!

[Texasmujer]

Man's best friend may be your beat medicine.

Q. Eight years ago, my other relied on a wheel chair for mobility. She had been diagnosed with lung cancer while she was living with multipole sclerosis. Then Reggie, a blackminiature poodle, entered her life. Today, my mother is winning her battle with cancer, walks up to five miles a day with her dog and does yoga. She credits Reggie with helping her recovery. Is this really possible?

A. Edward Creagan, MD, an oncologist at the Mayo Clinic, says yes. "Many times, the family pet can motivate a patient to give her best effort to deal with serious illness such as cancer," says Dr. Creagan. "About 5 years ago, I began asking my patients about their pets, and it was amazing to see the smiles illuminate their faces. Today, I write down the name of pets whenever I take a medical history."

Experts such as Dr. Creagan are now validating what pet owners have long believed: Man's best friend also may be man's best medicine.

[Zwilnik]

A similar story. My aunt had to retire due to problems with her legs. To the extent she could hardly walk. We started taking our dog to her during the day while we were at work. She has not improved to the extent of you post, however, the doctors say that she is more mobile now than when she retired. She will do almost anything for the dog and I think that is why she is improving, to a certain extent she is forced to move (because she want to) where as without the dog she would have probable sat all day in a chair and got worse. I think that is some cases an animal is the best treatment.

[Mistress]

[i]Well...

I don't have a family or personal medical story to go along with this.. but I agree totally.

Pets are not only your friends.. they are as well emotionally healthy too.. I talk to my wee girls all the time, and in fact.. I don't feel Nuts doing it.. lol..

I think everyone should consider some type of pet.. its good for alot of things.. as well as the Heart

Meow..

[Texasmujer]

There's more on this idea: There's a movement in the nursing home industry that is called 'The Eden Idea', in which residents can have their pets live with them, and, I think have resident animals that the residents can visit. These animals are able to reach these residents when sometimes, others can't (that is, people).

[kattoy]

Ok this may sound wierd but...

I find it a little difficult to recover from depression ever since I lost my kitty, Freddie. I don't mean his loss only but in general when I feel depressed.

When he was around he would "sense" my depression, approach me and just by petting him I would begin to feel better. Now I find it a lot harder to pick myself up without him. I eventually do of coarse but it's more of an effort for me.

Anyway I guess what I'm trying to say is that pets are good for our souls and true companions.

Kat

[Texasmujer]

Hi, Kattoy! Let me reassure you that those feelings you are experiencing are perfectly normal for the situation you are dealing with. You also seem to be handling this well---please feel free to "talk" to us at this site, because we do care...Matter of fact, when MY cat had to be quarantined (because of MY STUPIDITY), and I was worried, where did I go? Why, to Scotland.com!!

Our pets become our friends, and often occupy a place very similar to...family; so it only makes sense to be saddened when we no longer have them with us. Give yourself time. Respect those feelings, and do not be hard on yourself anout this.

[kattoy]

I should have mentioned that Freddie has been gone for 18 months already and I still come home and expect to see him.

When I lived in the states he would hear my car pull into the driveway and he would be waiting at the door for me to enter. Which isn't really that amazing...but what's amazing is that here in Greece I live on the second floor of an apartment building and once I had an aunt of mine staying with me for a few days and she noticed that she could hear the elevator in my building. One morning she noticed that while she heard the elevator, Freddie got up and went to the door and was waiting. Boy was she surprised to see me come in. She told me that she had been hearing the elevator going up and down all morning but he hadn't moved till that point.

To this day I have not figured out how he could distinguish that it was me and not some one else on the elevator! I assume that he "sensed" that it was me.

Kat