Dog Community

Do dogs make you unhealthy?

Posted : 1/4/2007 11:13:22 AM

I was watching the news this morning and they were discussing an interesting Finnish study. Apparently, it shows that the owners of dogs are less healthy then their non-dog owning peers. This is the oposite of what I would expect. Now I haven't got ahold of the actual paper, so I'm not sure what their variables were and what they used as measures of "healthyness" but in general, the European literature is almost as well respected in this country as American. Dose this suprise you too ?

It wouldn't suprise me that I'm less healthy then Otto since feeding him innova causes me to eat top ramen

paulaedwina

Posted : 1/4/2007 11:21:45 AM

ORIGINAL: ottoluv

I was watching the news this morning and they were discussing an interesting Finnish study. Apparently, it shows that the owners of dogs are less healthy then their non-dog owning peers. This is the oposite of what I would expect. Now I haven't got ahold of the actual paper, so I'm not sure what their variables were and what they used as measures of "healthyness" but in general, the European literature is almost as well respected in this country as American. Dose this suprise you too ?

It wouldn't suprise me that I'm less healthy then Otto since feeding him innova causes me to eat top ramen

Interesting because there was an asthma study in Europe some years ago that showed differences in asthma prevalence in children rural and urban (urban more), and with or without pets (without more). I'll try to find that.

What can you say? I have asthma that is controlled with medication and probably without dogs cats and horses I'd probably need less asthma control, but I'd be fatter, sedentary and anti-social and those are real risks for unhealthy living.

So you're right; it would depend on what they measured.

Paula

ottoluv

Posted : 1/4/2007 11:25:38 AM

Paula you reminded me of another American study which showed people with pets lived longer then people without pets. I guess that doesn't address whether they are healthy or not though.

jenhuedepohl

Posted : 1/4/2007 11:37:28 AM

It wouldn't suprise me that I'm less healthy then Otto since feeding him innova causes me to eat top ramen

I with you there!

I'll have to check out the details on that study. Sounds contrary to a lot of other info I've read. I know there are studies that show that kids who are born into families with cats and dogs have fewer allergies.

jones

Posted : 1/4/2007 11:42:24 AM

Unhealthy how? Are they talking exercise, diet, allergies...? The main way that getting a dog has made me healthier is that it indirectly caused me to go vegetarian [

] - I also walk more than I used to.

TinaK

Posted : 1/4/2007 11:44:50 AM

Can you give us more info on the study? I want to find it. Where was it published, do you know?

ottoluv

Posted : 1/4/2007 11:59:18 AM

[linkhttp://www.webmd.com/content/article/131/117919]http://www.webmd.com/content/article/131/117919[/link]

I still can't find the actual article, looks like an observational study. Some of the other things are intersesting there too. People who own pets are more likely to smoke, but less likely to drink. Young people with pets more likely to have psychiatric illness and old people more likely to be ill. Not prosepective and randomized, but interesting none the less.

TinaK

Posted : 1/4/2007 12:03:16 PM

Or, maybe people who are ill and have psychiatric illness choose to own dogs... Not that dogs cause these illnesses.

Hmmmm...

esteban ley

Posted : 1/4/2007 12:05:05 PM

I'm not so sure about unhealthy.....mine drives me nuts sometimes...does that count?

ottoluv

Posted : 1/4/2007 12:07:03 PM

Exactly true, observational studies don't give good evidence of causation, but it's a good place to start for further study.

jones

Posted : 1/4/2007 12:08:04 PM

Ah... I think this is a classic example of statistics distorting the facts. [

] I think they've got a lot of the causal relationships backwards.

People working in agriculture are twice as likely to own pets as people in other fields.
Hm, I'm going to have to go with "duh" on that one.

Pet ownership is linked to slightly poorer physical health in older people, and to slightly poorer emotional health in younger people.
It may be that people with psychiatric illnesses or physical illness are more likely to want animal companions... or perhaps even to need them or have been recommended to have pets by a doctor. Pets have been shown to lower stress and boost the immune system of their humans, which is why so many nursing homes bring CGC dogs in for visits.

People reporting poor health are more likely to have pets; but dog owners are no more likely to report poor health than people without dogs.
Too bad they don't go into what "pets" they're talking about if not dogs. It may be that people who work in agricultural have work-related health problems?

Pet owners tend to have lower social status than those without pets.
This is most likely why they are less healthy... people with lower social status have less money, less access to health care, less education about their health, have worse diets, and are less likely to go to the doctor in general.

jenhuedepohl

Posted : 1/4/2007 12:12:13 PM

..look at the effects of pet ownership on the health of the general population.

"Pet owners had a slightly higher BMI than the rest, which indicates that people having a pet -- particularly a dog -- could use some exercise,"

Now, see, that's why I hate these articles. They ASSUME that because pet owners have a slightly higher BMI, that owning a pet is what makes them less healthy. They didn't look at the possibility that perhaps people who have a higher BMI are more likely to be socially isolated and therefore more likely to own a pet for companionship. There are so many more factors here!

seashell

Posted : 1/4/2007 1:18:27 PM

I can saying that I am healthier having my dog. I now walk on a more daily basis and as a result I am no longer overweight. I also have a happier state of mind and less stress, partiallly because of the exercise. I actually read a study that people with dogs are less likely to be overweight, losing on average 10 pounds during the first year of owning a dog. I would agree that dogs help you lead a healthier life if you encourage your dog to live a healthy life with you.

mudpuppy

Posted : 1/4/2007 2:18:50 PM

um, maybe the fact that the finnish study didn't match people by age skewed the results? younger people have fewer pets than older people; younger people tend to be skinnier than older people; younger people tend to be healthier than older people, therefore you can invalidly conclude that pet owners are fatter and more unhealthy than non pet owners???? garbage conclusion.

ottoluv

Posted : 1/4/2007 2:24:37 PM

They actually did compare age groups.