REVIEW RELATED LITERATURE

(Foreign)

Pets and General Health

A number of studies have attempted to measure the relationship between pet ownership

and general health. For example social science survey studies in Australia, Britain, and Germany,

found that pet ownership resulted in better self-reported physical and psychological health and

fewer doctor visits These studies controlled for demographic variables associated with chronic

health problems including sex, age, marital status, education and income , Andersen and Headey

(2017)

Questions have arisen as to whether people who choose to own pets are happier and

healthier prior to obtaining the pet. Headey (2015), using the German Socio- Economic Panel

Survey, examined the panel and controlled for health status. He found that people who

continuously owned a pet reported the fewest number of doctor visits; those that acquired a dog

during this time period reported the next fewest visits; and these two groups had 10% fewer

doctor visits than those who did not own a pet during the five years between the surveys. Thus

pet owners demonstrated better health and lower health care utilization than non- pet owners.
History of Pets role to humans

Humans have shared a special relationship with now domesticated animals for over

50,000 years Arkow (2017). Through the ages, animals have been used as scavengers, objects of

worship, sentinels, working companions, domesticated sources of food, and now pets based on

Gamonnleny (2019) Over the years, the use of animals has changed from purely utilitarian to that

of companionship and personal pleasure according to Johnson, Meadow and Watts(2017).

Domestication was originally attributed to economic exploitation of animals to benefit humans,

but this explanation does not discern the integral role pets have become in their owners‟ lives.

Humans continue to attempt to confirm the general belief that pets are good for people Friedman.

Most Americans will own a pet during their lifetime. The American Pet Products Manufacturer‟s

Association estimated that 63% of Americans, 71 million households have at least one

companion animal. Thirty-nine percent of US households own at least one dog (44.8 million

households); while 34 percent own at least one cat (38.4 million households). Pet ownership in

the United States is four times higher than in industrialized nations in Europe and five times

higher than in Japan Arkow (2014). Pets are an important part of many Americans‟ lives as

evidenced by the growing amount of money being spent on them. Routine veterinarian bills

alone run $219 per dog per year and $175 per cat (APPMA, 2009-10). In 2013, Americans spent

$17 billion a year on prepared dog food (more than on baby food), $11 billion on pet health care

and more than $43.4 billion total on their pets. The number of specialized services targeting the

pet industry is ever increasing with posh day spas for dogs, dog sitters and walkers, pet

psychiatrists, and even specialty pet clothes designers. The increasing number of doggy daycare

services, pet products, and television shows targeting pet owners makes it obvious that pets are
an important part of American lives. APPMA statistics show that one in five employers allow

their employees to bring their pet to work on a daily basis. The news documents the love affair

Americans have with their animals. For example, most Americans related strongly to the distress

hurricane Katrina evacuees experienced leaving pets behind. Periodically in the news media

there are anecdotal stories of older adults doing without medication in order to buy cat or dog

food and the miracles attributed to pet-owner connections. The ongoing interest makes it evident

that there is an important relationship.

(Local)

Considerations of Having a Pet

Owning a pet can be one of the greatest joys in life, but owning a pet isn’t all positive.

First, you have to consider the costs of food, vet bills, medicines, and its supplies. Next is the

time required you will spend with your pet. Pets require lots of attention. If you are already

struggling to find time to take a spare moment every day, or if your family is constantly on the

go and out of the house, then owning a pet is only going to make a bad situation even more

difficult, Ellis (2017).Robinson and Segal (2018) stated that owning a pet is emotionally

beneficial and comforting only for those who love and appreciate animals. Lue, (2017), in her

study found out that those with the strongest pet bonds are more likely to follow veterinarian

recommendations, regardless of its cost. Care decisions are not necessarily based on the owner’s

income, but rather on their attachment to their pet and their understanding of the importance and

value of their veterinarians’ recommendations. Hutchings and Phillips’ (2019) study was about

the effect of pet ownership on overall health and the results showed that there was no significant
difference in the overall physical and emotional health of pet-owners as opposed to non-owners.

The results were not consistent with the research, thus, further research should be done in this

area in an attempt to replicate the results.

Beneficial Factors of Having a Pet

According to Casciotti (2018) people with pets have healthier hearts, make fewer visits to

the doctor, get more exercise, and are less depressed and pet provides a social support that can

make a person more relaxed and decrease stress. Nazario (2016) gave ways on how our pets can

improve our health hence he expounded that animals can make people feel good. It only takes

few minutes watching a dog or cat or a fish swimming to feel less anxious and less stressed and

your body goes through changes that alter your mood. A study published in the Western Journal

of Nursing Research found that even pet fish can help by facilitating healthy weight gain among

Alzheimers patients, who often suffer from a lack of adequate nutrition. In the presence of an

aquarium, patients who paced tended to sit still longer, while patients who were typically

lethargic became more attentive. Both effects led to better eating at mealtimes Oz (2015). In

addition, animals can also give you the sense of healing that your friend cannot provide you.

There is an intervention wherein an animal becomes part of health-care treatment called the

animal-assisted therapy (AAT) and it helps individuals develop social skills Uyemura (2012).

Pets can affect your physiological and psychological well-being for based on the study

conducted that a year after being released from a coronary care unit, pet owners were more likely

to have survived than those who didn’t have pets. People are hardwired to pay attention, respond

to, and be motivated by animals and have increased brain activity when confronted by animals
due to early relationships between predator and prey. The scientists assessed the influence of the

human-animal bond, attachment and commitment to evacuate homes prior to an oncoming

hurricane. They hypothesized that stronger levels of both would result in a greater likelihood of

evacuating, since owners should want to get both themselves and their animals to safety, and

under the PETS act, are legally guaranteed the opportunity to do so Kight (2016).

Context of Consumer-Pets interactions/Relationship

Consumers often benefit from interactions with animal companions regarding their

physical health, psychological health, and social well-being Wells (2017). Co-habiting with

animals affords consumers several opportunities to realize their well-being, for instance, “taking”

their human guardians for walks (i.e., personal trainers) and calming them down in stressful

situations (i.e., psychotherapists, nurses) Kylkilahti (2016). Health benefits associated with living

with animal companions include higher self- esteem, greater life satisfaction, reduced depression,

faster recovery, and stronger coping mechanisms when facing illnesses and diseases Tsai,

Friedmann, and Thomas (2013). Caretakers of animal companions are less likely to visit their

general medical practitioners and have improved general health compared to humans not co-

habiting with animals (Walsh 2015). Additionally, animal companionship may aid in elevating a

human’s self-esteem, generating a sense of accomplishment or competence, and contributing to

feelings of safety Holbrook and Jyrinki (2012). Close emotional bonds with animal companions

are also considered central to family life as they often inspire consumers, offer opportunities to

learn, to be playful, and to be “parents” of sorts However, living with animals may have

considerable physical, monetary, and time commitments caregivers must afford Mosteller

(2018), potentially undermining their well-being in other life domains. Further, caring for and
living with animals can lead to transformational as well as dysfunctional outcomes for consumer

well-being, such as compassion fatigue (e.g., caregiver) Halcombe (2016). Moreover, animal

hoarding, which indicates an individual who lives with more animals than they can support, is a

pathological form of over-attachment to animals that can result in negative psychological and

physical health consequences for humans and animals alike as well as affecting public health.

Interactions that benefit animals may include consumers actively caring for sick animals,

providing medical treatment, fostering animal orphans, engaging in volunteer work for animal

shelters and/or donating to animal charities (Neumann 2012). Research on animal welfare has

discovered that grooming is primarily positive for dogs, as evidenced by their reduced heart and

increased oxytocin Consumers voice their ethical concerns regarding animal suffering Fraser

(2012), such as the breeding of dogs with congenital defects (e.g., impaired breathing). When

consumers’ caring for animal companions translates into actions related to animal treatment,

these actions can result in activist behavior that promotes protectionism. However, co-habiting

with animals may also involve situations in which the animal companion’s well- being can be

endangered. For example, confining animals in human apartments has implications for animal

welfare, especially if the animal is accustomed to living in its natural habitat (Bok 2013). From

an animal ethics perspective, even keeping domesticated animals such as cats in an indoor

environment limits their natural exploratory play and predatory behavior. The situation is even

more striking in the case of acquiring exotic animals, which poses threats not only to animal

well-being (and may lead to species extinction in the wild), but also human community and

ecosystem (Brown 2016). Consequently, animals might exhibit behaviors that overload their

human companions, resulting in their release into public spaces (Fraser and McRae 2013), which

may in turn pose a deleterious effect upon the local human and natural environment.