![\"\"](\"http:\/\/healthnews.nchealthplans.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/bigstockphoto_couple_walking_their_dog_126995.jpg\" "\\"Pets")
<\/a>The good news for those struck with puppy love – or any other pet connection \u2014 is that regular interaction with an animal will improve your health<\/a> and reduce your medical bills.<\/p>\nPet owners gain health benefits and visit the doctor 10 per cent less than those without pets. The health benefits dipped for those owners whose pets died during the survey and increased for those who acquired a pet.<\/p>\n
People with pets are most often better off than people without them. When a pet dies people\u2019s health can decrease; when they get a pet for the first time their health can\u00a0improve\u2014and it appears that it didn\u2019t matter what sort of pet it was, from horses to goldfish or dogs and cats.\u00a0 One would assume it would mainly be dogs who offered a health benefit because of the exercise that often comes with them, but it appears it has more to do with companionship.<\/p>\n
An animal can also act as prevention against illness.\u00a0 It also noted that\u00a0pet owners visit the doctor less often, have lower blood pressure, experience less sleeping difficulties and are in better health than non-pet owners.<\/p>\n
To own and care for a pet, particularly a dog, is to enjoy better physical and mental health<\/a>.\u00a0 Dog owners, compared to\u00a0non-owners, are more physically active and report greater satisfaction with their physical fitness. They visit the doctor less often. Fewer take medication for high blood pressure, sleeping difficulties, high cholesterol or a heart problem.<\/p>\n HOW PETS KEEP YOU HEALTHY<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/strong> Pets can reduce the impact of grief. If you have a pet you\u2019re more likely to recover from a heart attack than non-pet owners because of the blood-pressure reducing benefits of pet ownership and the extra companionship for those who live alone. Children with pets are often more self-reliant, more sociable and less selfish than those without a companion animal.<\/p>\n TEACHING RESPONSIBILITY<\/strong> Make your pet a part of your family.\u00a0 Only bring a new pet into your home if you have the time, patience, finances and love to provide for that special addition.<\/p>\n For information on health insurance coverage in North Carolina<\/a>, please visit our website at www.nchealthplans.com<\/a> or call our toll free number 888-765-5400 and speak with one of our qualified agents.\u00a0 Our agency provides coverage for health insurance in North Carolina through Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina\u00a0(BCBSNC).\u00a0 <\/a>You may qualify for a 15% healthy lifestyle discount if you are in excellent health.\u00a0 Call us for details.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u00a0 The good news for those struck with puppy love – or any other pet connection \u2014 is that regular interaction with an animal will improve your health and reduce your medical bills. Pet owners gain health benefits and visit the doctor 10 per cent less than those without pets. The health benefits dipped for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[23,136,57,56,55],"class_list":["post-221","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fitness","tag-bcbsnc","tag-blue-cross-blue-shield-of-north-carolina","tag-happy","tag-healthy","tag-pets"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nchealthplans.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/221","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nchealthplans.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nchealthplans.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nchealthplans.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nchealthplans.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=221"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/www.nchealthplans.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/221\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3055,"href":"https:\/\/www.nchealthplans.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/221\/revisions\/3055"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nchealthplans.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=221"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nchealthplans.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=221"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nchealthplans.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=221"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/healthnews.nchealthplans.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/jerry-and-walker-on-beach-300x225.jpg\")
<\/a>Stroking a pet helps us relax and spending time with a pet can have a soothing effect as our heartbeats slow and blood pressure reduces. For people with high blood pressure having a pet is as beneficial to the condition as reducing salt or alcohol intake.<\/p>\n
\nPets teach children important lessons about responsibility and caring for another life. Many hospitals use pets as therapy for hospitalised children. Pets are loyal companions who can make people feel loved and needed. Pets can spark social interactions; if you\u2019re walking a dog in the park it can be a good icebreaker.<\/p>\n