By Dr Manpinder Sahota

A dog really is a man’s (or woman’s’) best friend both socially, emotionally and physically.

There are so many benefits to owning a dog and large part is because they make you walk every day.

I have had patients whose diabetes has gone out of control when their dog passed away and they had no reason to go out walking. Once we made the connection, the patient immediately decided he was going to get another dog.

A month later both the diabetes and blood pressure was under control and my patient was much happier. I could of instead given him another diabetes drug which would have made him put on weight and get more depressed. More often than not there are natural common sense ways to help yourself instead of getting another tablet!

Dog walking also enables the connection with nature with the additional benefits of fresh air and getting your Vitamin D from the sun.

The benefits of regular walking include a reduction of 20-50% in the following diseases: Breast and bowel cancer, dementia, heart disease, depression, Type 2 diabetes. So getting a dog really is the best medicine for you. Whether it’s a big floppy dog, a bird, a cat, or even a fish aquarium, the benefits of having a pet for one with Alzheimer’s or other dementia are numerous. Pets bring great benefits to all of us—companionship, unconditional love, and fun.

By their very nature, pets do not judge, and they are not critical. And for someone with dementia, those qualities make them a good companion. They can help reduce the effects of dementia—anxiety, agitation, irritability, depression, and loneliness. By their friendliness and non-threatening way, pets can help a dementia patient be more interactive, when sometimes they are not able to do so with other adults.

At Vitality Home Health, Obi is our dementia dog is a big favourite with our customers. So if you were thinking about getting dog don’t think twice.