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Calling Doctor Dog

Calling Doctor Dog

The tried and true adage about "mans' best friend" can take on an increased meaning when you study the beneficial effects dogs have on the health of the humans they live with. The loyalty and companionship these marvelous beasts offer their human friends is well known to decrease the levels of stress and thus reduce the extra strain on the heart. What may not be as well known is just how many ways that our canine friends can help us in both therapy and diagnosis of the ailments that can beset us.

It has been documented through studying medical reports that heart attack patients who have a dog companion have an increased survival rate over 400% higher than their petless counterparts. Studies by groups such as the Centers for Disease Control have shown that on average only 6% of the petless victims of heart attack survive as compared to the 28% of their patients that make it over a year with their dogs. While the exact reason for this significant increase of longevity has yet to be discovered, the natural stress reduction is one of the contributing factors.

Statistically, health care professionals have seen that those who have dogs tend to need less prescription medication and have fewer office calls for minor illnesses. They try not to attribute it to the dogs beyond the natural benefits of exercise and getting out into the fresh air while walking your dog daily.

Many dogs have shown special aptitude for diagnosing and helping treat the victims of some disorders. Dogs have exhibited the ability to detect their owner's oncoming seizures some minutes before they may become aware of the problem themselves. The "seizure" dogs will try to get their owners away from such potentially dangerous areas as cooking stoves and stairwells. It is usually rather easy to train a dog to help with this as it seems to come natural to them. Some dogs have even been trained to help their owners with Parkinson's Disease to break the "freezing" up of muscles in their feet and legs which make it so dangerous for these people to get about. Even the confidence to get about will increase the good health of persons who require a "seeing-eye" companion to navigate in the world.

Medically, dogs are being trained at Cambridge University to help sniff out and detect the odor of some types of prostate cancer in urine. Dogs have been trained in the detection of several types of skin cancers as well. Some studies have shown that dogs are able to detect and alert their humans about dropping sugar levels and help them stave off attacks of hypoglycemia.

Dogs, by nature, are very open and emotional beings and they can be very attuned to the health and well being of their human friends. Dogs can sense even a depressed mood in you and to the best of their ability will not stand back and let you suffer but will try to show you affection and comfort you with their presence. They know that your empty hand really needs a dog's head in it to make you feel better.

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