Petscription – Prescription you give yourself OR get from your doctor so you can add a pet to your home. Give this to your landlord!

Just 1 reason for a “Petscription”: Osteoarthritis

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More than 20 million Americans have osteoarthritis, also known as OA. OA is a degenerative joint disease that is characterized by the breakdown of joint cartilage, with bone eventually meeting bone.

Many of the disease signs, symptoms and treatments are similar in both pets and people. "With proper diet, exercise and medical treatment, mobility can be maintained and arthritis pain reduced," says Dr. Patience White, chief public health officer of the Arthritis Foundation. "Walking your dog for a half an hour or even 10 minutes three times a day will help to significantly reduce pain and stiffness."

Early morning stiffness is a common sign of arthritis. While the temptation to rest in order to avoid aggravating the condition is strong, exercise actually helps-keeping joints lubricated and strengthening muscles and cartilage.

The stronger the muscles and tissue are around joints, the better they will be able to support and protect those joints-even ones weak and damaged by arthritis.

Exercise will help you and your pet:

* Keep your joints flexible.
* Keep muscles around the joints strong.
* Prevent further deterioration of bone and cartilage.
* Improve your ability to perform daily activities.
* Improve your overall health and fitness by giving you more energy-helping you sleep better, making your heart stronger and controlling your weight.

The Arthritis Foundation hosts hundreds of pet-friendly Arthritis Walk events around the country to raise awareness and funds to fight arthritis, the nation's number one cause of disability. A complete schedule can be found at www.arthritis.org.

Dogs and Diabetes

I really don't cover dog health in this blog. There are many others that already do a fine job on that topic. However ... how could I pass up an opportunity to connect you with excellent info on how to prevent diabetes in our best friends?

Diabetes in dogs starts with being overweight, just like us. And we can prevent it so easily, just like in us.

So I will post this post under a few of my favorite labels "Dog Walking," "Pets makes us healthy," and "The Dog Diet!"

Now click here to learn more about how to prevent diabetes in your dog. I bet it will return the favor to your own health and well-being.

Psst. Woof. By the way ... The Dog Captions Friendship Card Packs are available. Visit www.DogCaptions.com to order yours today and let your friends know how much and what you really think of them!

Dogs change lives. Half Buddha, half Bozo, they keep us tethered to the earth, and they teach us to fly. Our dogs are our sanity keepers. They are our suicide-prevention task force. (There I'd be with the gun in my hand, and Fenton would look at me and say, "What the hell do you think you're doing?" and of course he'd be right, as always.) They are the worthy and willing recipients of our fierce, unrelenting, and unconditional love. They are our personal trainers, our gurus, our reason to get up in the morning, our bed-warmers, our muses, our teachers, our hearts.
-Pam Houston, Forward A Year Without Dogs, Woman's Best Friend Women Writers on the dogs in their lives

Pets make us healthy and happy. I know you know that but here are a few specifics ...

Would you like stronger bones? This fact will make your purrrrrr. Apparently the sound of a cat’s purr keeps their bones strong AND keeps their owner's bones strong and healthy too.

Want to give your happy hormones a boost? The fact will make you want to pet – the verb. Petting cats or dogs increases feel good hormones, lowers blood pressure and slows the heart rate. In other words, petting is healthy for your heart!

Want to live longer? On average, people who cared for dogs during their lives lived 3 years longer than people who never had a dog.

Want an easy, healthy stress buster? A study shows that watching fish swim can drop your blood pressure about 15 points, about the same as meditating.

Want to get back into shape, in how you feel and look? Dog owners walk 79 percent farther in an average week than non–dog owners.

“Walking is the biggest bang for our buck. Thirty minutes a day of walking will prevent many cases of diabetes, hypertension, and other chronic diseases. Walking is the simplest, easiest way for most people." Richard Carmona, Surgeon General

This is a fun topic to research and along the way I came across a slew of great books on this topic …