4. Heart Disease Risk
The benefits we have covered so far all add up to a lower risk of heart disease. People who have an elevated risk due to high cholesterol, high levels of stress and high blood pressure are at significantly higher risk for heart attack when they have a pet. A number of studies have been conducted on this subject, and a large number of them were reviewed during 2014 by the American Heart Association. They concluded that people with heart disease were less likely to suffer further complications of their condition if they had a pet.