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Mayo Clinic Q&A: Why Dogs Are Good For Your Health

A dog can help improve your overall health. (Dreamstime/TNS)

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: We're thinking about getting a dog. We know they're great companions, but how are they good for your health?

ANSWER: People with dogs know the benefits of pet ownership. The unconditional love, trust and loyalty shown by your canine companions, coupled with their unbridled enthusiasm on your return home each day, is hard to put into words.

There's another plus of having a dog by your side: It improves your overall physical and mental health. Here's how.

A notable benefit is that dogs force you to get up and move. One research study found that dog owners are more likely to report regular physical activity than people who don't own dogs.

Activities associated with dog ownership, like feeding, grooming, playing and letting them outside, all increase physical activity levels. Physical activity improves blood flow, induces muscle contraction and reduces joint stiffness.

Dogs also require regular exercise and will greet it with smiles and wagging tails. In addition to a typical walk, you can work hiking and running into your outings with your dog depending on its breed. People who regularly perform aerobic exercise have improved blood pressure, reduced blood sugar levels, better-controlled weight and a reduced risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Other studies have demonstrated that exercise can improve depression and anxiety.

Over time, exercise will help strengthen your muscles, bones and joints. You may notice that your usual route is feeling easier so you decide to stay out longer or walk up that extra hill.

When selecting a new puppy or dog, carefully consider its energy levels and exercise requirements. It's best when your lifestyle and activity levels match that of your canine buddy.

Exercise burns calories and helps you maintain a healthy weight. In one study, adults who regularly walked their dogs were less likely to be obese than their nondog-owning neighbors. The same research found that dog owners also are more likely to report a healthy diet and blood sugar at ideal levels, which improves overall heart health. Walking for 30 minutes a day will reduce the risk of coronary heart disease, osteoporosis, colon and breast cancer, and Type 2 diabetes.

That 30 minutes of light-to-moderate dog walking also can help you achieve deeper, more restful sleep. Health care professionals recommend adults aim for 150 minutes of aerobic exercise per week.

One way to get walking with your new dog is to start a 12-week walking schedule.

Owning a dog has been linked to better mental health and a lower perception of social isolation, which can reduce the risk of heart attacks and cognitive issues. Being socially isolated is a strong risk factor for worse health outcomes and premature death. Dog owners interact more with other people, such as other dog owners and people they encounter on walks, and are less likely to experience depression.

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Consider training your dog for pet therapy to gain the dual benefits of connection and volunteering.

For people who work from home, there are four significant ways pets can help with your mental health:

Reducing work-related stress. Two out of 3 employees say work stresses them out, and 40% say their job gets in the way of their health. Pets in the workplace, even at home, reduce stress and improve employee satisfaction.

Managing anxiety. With the increase in work-from-home jobs, more people are struggling with mental health. Pets can provide the companionship and support once found in the office.

Increasing activity. Dogs give you a reason to go outside, breathe in fresh air and get some physical activity.

Combating loneliness. The bond with pets helps people feel less alone. Owners can touch, see, hear or talk to their companion animals, which brings happiness, connection and physical contact.

There's also research showing the benefits of animal-assisted therapy during rehabilitation for nervous system conditions, such as strokes, seizure disorders, brain trauma and infections. Dogs can be a valuable part of cardiac rehabilitation, occupational therapy and physical therapy programs. They can provide social support, and trained dogs can even participate in your rehabilitation or therapy sessions.

Welcoming a dog into your home is a big decision, and you should carefully consider the responsibilities. However, you also should consider the many wonderful health and emotional benefits that come from dog ownership.

The bottom line is that a dog can help you be more active and socially connected while improving your overall health. It's a win-win solution — and doggone fun. — Tahir Tak, M.D., Cardiovascular Medicine, Mayo Clinic Health System, La Crosse, Onalaska and Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin; Heidi Grafft, exercise physiologist, La Crosse, Wisconsin

(Mayo Clinic Q & A is an educational resource and doesn't replace regular medical care. E-mail a question to MayoClinicQ&A@mayo.Edu. For more information, visit www.Mayoclinic.Org.)

Raw Diet For Dogs Is Taking Over TikTok, But What Does Your Veterinarian Think Of The Latest Trend?

Some pet dogs are gaining attention on TikTok thanks to their owners who are feeding them a raw-style food diet.

Kayla Kowalski, a certified canine nutritionist (CertCN) from Phoenix, Arizona, has made it big on social media with her out-of-the-ordinary style of dog diets that are made up of raw meat and other nutritional additives.

Kowalski's interest in pet health started after she and her boyfriend rescued their dog, Rudy, who battled a variety of health and mental issues once he joined the family, she told Fox News Digital.

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"I didn't know too much about dog nutrition, [but] kibble just wasn't doing it for him," she said. "It was making a lot of his issues worse."

"And then we came across the raw diet and that just really transformed him."

Kayla Kowalski became a certified canine nutritionist after rescuing her dog Rudy, the German shepherd (left), and continued to use the raw dog food diet on all of her pets, including Rylie, the husky mix pictured at right. (Kayla Kowalski Nutrition)

After sharing her journey on social media, she started gaining a lot of interest from other pet parents who also wanted to try the raw dog food diet with their pets.

It was then that Kowalski decided to become a CertCN and create her own business.

Today, she builds personalized diets for customers and shares exclusive recipes in her e-books.

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What started as implementing both raw and cooked meats as a topper to her pets' meals turned into something different. She slowly eliminated the use of a popular consumer brand and began adding more raw bites — including turkey and chicken necks, duck feet, goose heads, beef kidneys, livers and more.

All three of Kowalski's dogs, Rudy, Buddy and Rylie, are on a complete raw food diet.

"Just like humans, [dogs] need certain vitamins and minerals to be as healthy as they can," Kowalski said.

"If you look back to how dogs ate hundreds of years ago, how wolves eat, it's really how they are biologically meant to eat."

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Kowalski sees pet store food as something that was made out of "human convenience."

But she said if that's the preferred food for other pets based on the advice of veterinarians, she, along with her brother, Nick Kowalski, recommend hydrating the food with water or bone broth for better digestion.

Kowalski incorporates a main source of raw protein in her pets' meals and includes additives such as livers or kidneys, chicken feet and even the occasional goose head. (Kayla Kowalski Nutrition)

Additives don't have to be complicated, she indicated. Steamed Brussel sprouts and most veggies, a raw egg plus the membrane, ripe bananas or any fruit aside from grapes can also be added to a dog's food bowl, she said.

Now that the raw diet has over 441.3 million hashtags on TikTok — and Kowalski has millions of views on her own videos — veterinarians are chiming in.

"Feeding dogs raw meat with so many different ingredients shown in these videos can be hard on their stomachs, causing severe diarrhea and pancreatitis and making dogs sick," Lindsay Butzer, a veterinarian from Boca Raton, Florida, related to Fox News Digital.

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Butzer said she has seen how some of these additions for a particular family of dogs may cause more harm than good.

"As appealing as it is to watch these videos of creators building bowls and explaining why each ingredient is healthy, with all these unique meats and ingredients to feed a dog, as a veterinarian I do not recommend feeding your dog this way," Butzer added.

It's not about following a trend; it's about making an informed choice for the health and longevity of our pets.

— Dr. Katie Woodley, holistic veterinarian, founder of The Natural Pet Doctor

She can see that the addition of one raw protein source or vegetable and grain may be better on a pet's digestive system than a variety of "exotic ingredients" all at once, she said.

"As a veterinarian, I am an advocate for kibble and freeze-dried raw pet food brands that are studied, labeled and approved to be a complete and balanced diet for our pets," Butzer noted.

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Kowalski, however, prefers the holistic approach when it comes to pet health and has spoken with a variety of veterinarians that have found her methods to be beneficial for dogs.

"As a holistic veterinarian, I'd like to address the growing interest in raw food diets for pets, which, contrary to popular belief, is not just a trend but a health-conscious choice for pet owners," Dr. Katie Woodley, a holistic veterinarian and founder of The Natural Pet Doctor in Colorado, said in a statement with Fox News Digital.

"Recent studies, including those found on PubMed, have provided compelling evidence supporting the myriad health benefits of raw food diets compared to traditional kibble, processed-food diets."

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Dr. Woodley has looked at a variety of recent studies to support this diet and her research has shown that the raw dog food way of life can positively alter the overall health and well-being of pets, she said.

Kowalski adds a variety of foods to her meals for dogs, including fruits, pumpkin puree, vegetables and animal liver or kidney. (Kayla Kowalski Nutrition)

She is an advocate of raw dog food diets because of the nutritional benefits; but this must be carefully thought through and managed well.

"When formulated and managed correctly, raw diets offer a natural, nutritious, species-appropriate option that aligns with the dietary needs of carnivorous pets," she said.

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"It's not about following a trend; it's about making an informed choice for the health and longevity of our pets."

The raw dog food diet has gone viral on TikTok, but it seems to have created debate among pet nutritionists and vets. (Kayla Kowalski Nutrition)

She encourages her customers to notice that the raw dog food diet is just as balanced and full of vitamins and nutrition as the dried kibble.

Most importantly, Kowalski recommends that pet parents be informed when it comes to learning more about their pet's health and the raw diet.

For more Lifestyle articles, visit www.Foxnews.Com/lifestyle.

Sydney Borchers is a lifestyle production assistant with Fox News Digital.

A Respiratory Virus Is Affecting Colorado's Dogs. Here Are Tips To Keep Them Healthy

It's respiratory virus season for not just humans, but man's best friend, too.

A respiratory virus linked to severe pneumonia has been affecting dogs in Fort Collins and along the Front Range in recent months, surprising pet owners and veterinarians, according to the Colorado State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital.

With typical respiratory viruses in dogs — commonly called kennel cough — coughing lasts for up to 7-10 days, but in some cases this year veterinarians have seen coughing last for several weeks. Although pneumonia can occur in some kennel cough cases, the CSU veterinary hospital says it has seen an increase in pneumonia cases this year, some of which have been fatal.

Symptoms of this respiratory illness include:

Continued coughing

Eye or nasal discharge

Sneezing

Loss of appetite

Trouble breathing

Extreme lethargy

Veterinarians across the state have reported seeing double the number of respiratory disease cases they typically see during an outbreak, according to the Colorado Department of Agriculture. These cases present with prolonged coughing and little response to treatment. In some cases, the dogs progress to contracting pneumonia, and very few of those cases result in the dog's death.

Similar cases have been reported in Oregon, Florida and New Hampshire.

Some testing has been done to determine what is causing this increase in respiratory illnesses, but nothing conclusive has been found, according to the state department of agriculture. "This does not necessarily mean this is a new or novel virus as there are many causes for canine respiratory infections," it said.

Outbreaks of infectious respiratory diseases in dogs are not uncommon, according to the state. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has not connected any reported human respiratory illnesses to ill dogs at this time, according to the state agriculture department.

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Experts at CSU are working to determine the cause of the recent spate of respiratory illness. In the meantime, here are some tips from the CSU veterinary hospital for keeping your furry friends safe:

Keep your dog up to date on vaccines: While there might not be a vaccine targeting this specific respiratory illness, staying on top of vaccines will help support your dog's immune system so they can fight off infections.

Watch your dog closely: Monitor your dog for progressive coughing that may be accompanied by eye or nasal discharge and sneezing.

Avoid large gatherings of dogs: For the time being, its recommended to avoid dog parks, boarding or daycare facilities where your dog would have contact with a lot of other dogs. If you need to take your dog to a boarding, day care or grooming facility, ensure they are up to date on their vaccines and then monitor them for symptoms after you bring them home.

Consult your veterinarian: If your dog develops any of these symptoms, consult your veterinarian immediately, especially if your dog also loses its appetite, has trouble breathing, is coughing continually or is extremely lethargic.

Updates from the Colorado Department of Agriculture will be posted online as they become available at ag.Colorado.Gov/canine-respiratory-disease.

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Fort Collins dogs affected by contagious respiratory illness

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