Author Archives: Julie Ciaramella

Pets warm your heart, but make it healthier, too

A new study has found that pet owners’ hearts respond better to their body’s changing requirements, like beating faster when they’re stressed out or in a dangerous situation. Increased heart rate variability means less of a risk of dying from heart disease.

Read more »

Posted in Research | Tagged , , , ,

Secondhand smoke and pets

Secondhand smoke doesn’t just affect people in a home — it affects their pets, too.  Dr. Clare Knottenbelt, a professor at the College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences at the University of Glasgow, Scotland, has done research that found the levels of nicotine in dogs exposed to secondhand smoke were similar to those found in children in smoking homes.

Read more »

Posted in Research | Tagged , , , ,

Dogs helping to heal the emotional wounds of war

The capacity of human hearts to be healed by animal kindness is an astounding thing, as you’ll see in this report from last night’s NBC Nightly News about therapy dogs helping soldiers move on from the emotional wounds of war.

Read more »

Posted in Human-Animal Connections | Tagged , ,

Research clears up misinformation about hoarding

An article published this week in the San Francisco Chronicle aims to give further insight into animal hoarding, based on research done on the disorder by Dr. Gary Patronek, a veterinary professor and expert on hoarding. The article — written by Jennifer Scarlett, DVM, co-president of the San Francisco SPCA — is well worth a read.

Read more »

Posted in Research | Tagged , , , , , ,

One Health Commission launches redesigned site

The One Health Commission has launched a redesigned website where you can find all of the latest One Health news. The site is a great tool to find out more information about this initiative that helps to improve the health of people, animals, plants, and the environment.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged ,