Show 1435: Beyond Companionship: A Veterinarian's Take on the Pet-Human Health Connection

This week, our guest in the studio is veterinarian Dr. Chuck Miller. 

You may have already thought about One Health without realizing it has a name. This is an interdisciplinary approach to promoting the health of animals as well as humans that share an environment. If you have companion animals that move between inside and outside, your already know that protecting them from ticks and fleas also offers you a measure of protection.

Another example of the importance of this approach would be control of bird flu. So far, we have paid it relatively little attention as it spread through cattle herds and to cats and other animals. If we learned more about its behavior in other animals, might we be able to reduce the impact on humans?

Quite a bit of research has shown that having a pet present can help alleviate anxiety and lower blood pressure. One study examined the impact of therapy dogs on children’s anxiety in the emergency department (JAMA Network Open, March 3, 2025). Children interacting with a therapy dog and its handler for 10 minutes in the ER had less anxiety than those whose emergency visits were dogless.

A dear friend just sent us a very sad email. His golden retriever Abby just died after 13 joyful years together with him and his wife. Moreover, he noted, there will not be another dog in their family because they are both getting on in years. Adopting a dog that outlives you doesn’t seem fair to the dog.

When a pet dies first, the owner grieves. But if an owner dies first, someone must find the animal a new home. How do we do that? How many people make contingency plans for a surviving pet? Should we? What about grieving animals?