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Dogs with furry companions tend to live longer, shows survey
Does your pet dog have non-human friends? Feeding them a healthy diet and giving endless cuddles doesn’t guarantee longevity, but companionship does.
Just like humans, our furry babies need friends and socializing too – a lack of which is detrimental to their overall well-being. A study recommends socializing your dogs with fellow pooches for a longer lifespan.
Your dog needs to socialize too
Dogs that run in packs live longer, according to the findings of one of the largest surveys which interviewed over 21,000 owners.
Researchers at Arizona State University wanted to understand the impact of social and physical environmental factors on a dog’s aging and the social support network was found to have the greatest influence.
Socialization is so crucial for your dog’s overall health that it is associated with better outcomes – “five times the effect of financial factors, household stability or the age of the owner.”
Graduate student, McCoy, who was a part of the study said: “This does show that like many social animals, including humans, having more social companions can be really important for the dog’s health.”
While other factors such as poor finances or household situation among owners were associated with reduced physical mobility and poorer health, more social companionship, especially dogs that lived with other dogs, showed signs of better health.
Having children can be detrimental to their well-being
The survey highlights more startling results, including the negative impact of children in the household on a dog’s health and increased diagnoses of diseases among dogs that belong to families with higher incomes.
Pet parents with children tend to dedicate less time to furry babies, which can leave them craving attention and negatively impact their health.
“You can think of it as a resource allocation issue, rather than kids being bad for dogs,” said the researcher. It was also found that dogs from wealthier households with better access faced more disease diagnoses.
“Because the dogs who live in households with wealthier owners might seek veterinary care more frequently, and their owners have the funds to pay for additional tests, this leads to more diseases identified,” the study states.
