PKD Life - Summer 2020 - 16

The
Healing
Power
of

PETS

Dogs, cats, and other loyal
nonhuman companions
can do a world of good
for people with PKD.

Larianne Austin
with Bear.

By Beth Levine

ogs just seem to find Larianne Austin,
55, of Vacaville, California. She rescued
Chance, a now 8-year-old white boxer,
from a shelter. Then daughter Cassie,
now 22, came home from softball practice one day
with Lily, a now 5-year-old Australian cattle dog
mix. Larianne next found Bear, now a 5-year-old,
130-pound English mastiff, standing in the middle
of the road. (After bringing him to the local pound
and getting word that the original owner was ready to
give him up, the family was allowed to adopt him.)
That's a lot of dogs, but Larianne, who has PKD,
feels that she receives more than she gives from these
active bundles of fur. "People with kidney disease can
get very discouraged and depressed if they just focus
on what's coming," Larianne says. "My dogs help me
stay in the present and be positive. They give me a
reason to smile all the time."
Larianne has discovered what scientific research
is now verifying: Having pets can help you stay

PKD LIFE * SUMMER 2020

"I f I am not
y
feeling well, m
comfortable place
is to have my
dogs next to me,
stroking their
es
fur. That mak
e
everything mor
bearable."

healthy, active, and mentally upbeat.
In fact, according to the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention,
studies show that pet ownership can
provide a host of benefits, including:

BETTER HEALTH

In a 2017 study published in the Journal of Hypertension, researchers found
a 22% and 26% reduction in cardiovascular mortality in an elderly population among previous and current
pet owners, respectively, compared
with those who had never owned a
pet. Another study published in the
Journal of Vascular and Interventional
Neurology in 2009 found that cat
owners were much less likely to die
of cardiovascular events than those
who didn't own cats.

PKD Life - Summer 2020

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