Paula Bullock Veterinarian Reveals Five Ways That Pets Can Be Good For Your Health

Paula Bullock
3 min readAug 11, 2020

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Press release content. The AP news staff was not involved in its creation.

Expert Paula Bullock veterinarian shares the ways in which pets have been found to be beneficial to our health and well-being.

Durham, NC — ( NewMediaWire ) — August 11, 2020 — From promoting a sense of calm to helping to combat trauma, it should come as no surprise to America’s millions of pet owners that our furry friends are not just cute and cuddly, but beneficial to the nation’s health and well-being, too. Paula Bullock veterinarian, who’s now been in practice for more than two decades, reveals five examples of the many ways in which our pets are doing their part to keep us healthy.

“As pet owners, we all know the joy that our animals bring,” says Paula Bullock veterinarian, “but few realize the full extent of the benefits that our furry friends can have on both our physical and mental health and well-being.”

Paula Bullock veterinarian kicks off her five health benefits of pet ownership with fitness. “Dog owners, in particular, benefit hugely in terms of fitness,” she explains, “often well exceeding recommended daily physical activity levels, going for regular walks day in and day out.”

Next, Paula Bullock veterinarian turns to dialing down stress. “Studies have shown that spending time with our pets actively lowers stress hormone levels,” reveals Bullock, “as well as steadying our heart rates.”

The same is true, according to Paula Bullock veterinarian, of lowering fear and anxiety levels and promoting a sense of calm. Benefits are particularly apparent in seniors, she says, as well as often-anxious young college students experiencing pre-exam worry or stress caused by long periods of study.

Third among Paula Bullock veterinarian ‘s health benefits of keeping pets is a fun one, she says. “Our animal companions are proven to make us more sociable,” explains the veterinarian. Studies, according to Paula Bullock, have even shown pet owners to be more date-worthy. “Pet owners,” Bullock goes on, “are largely deemed to be more approachable and trustworthy than non-pet owners.”

Pets are also able to help combat trauma, Paula Bullock veterinarian reports. “Those haunted by PTSD, in particular, have, it’s said, routinely found that animal companionship helps to limit several of the terrible effects of the condition, including emotional numbness,” adds the expert.

Paula Bullock veterinarian opened her first practice over 20 years ago. She has since gone on to establish a wildly successful nonprofit animal rescue, George’s Place Animal Sanctuary, providing free veterinary care and transport for rehomed pets to families across the U.S.

Paula Bullock veterinarian concludes her list of five ways that pets can be good for your health by touching on a number of specific conditions. Alzheimer’s patients, for example, she says, often benefit directly from animal companionship. “The same is true,” Paula Bullock veterinarian goes on, “of young people with autism.”

Here, Bullock reveals, children with autism spectrum disorders are widely believed to be better able to connect and interact socially with others after having spent time with a pet. “From cats and dogs to guinea pigs, horses, and even chickens, animal companions across the board have all been found to be particularly effective in this regard,” adds Paula Bullock veterinarian, wrapping up.

Originally published at https://apnews.com on August 11, 2020.

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Paula Bullock

Paula Bullock was born in Lumberton NC and attended NCSU for undergraduate and veterinary medicine.