Pets spend their whole lives at their owners' sides, keeping them active and comforting them in times of illness or loneliness. A study conducted by research organization IPSOS on behalf of Boehringer Ingelheim recently confirmed what many pet owners have long suspected: Dogs, cats and other pets have a positive impact on health and well-being.
Over 90 percent of dog and cat owners say their pets have a positive effect on their quality of life. More specifically, a strong emotional bond with an animal can help patients cope with, or even overcome, illness. Boehringer Ingelheim therefore intends to better leverage the connection between human and animal health.
Pets help keep people active
For many people, the start of a new year is the perfect time to make changes for their health, as they resolve to reduce the stress in their lives, exercise more, or dedicate more time to family and friends. Old habits die hard, however, with good intentions soon going out the window. But people who have a dog or other pet at home tend to stick to their resolutions; in the best case scenario, dogs can transform their couch potato owners into endurance athletes.
Animals help recovery
Recent studies also found that the increasingly important role pets play in our society and the emotional ties we have to them appear to have a positive impact on people suffering from such illnesses as depression or cardiovascular disease, especially.As a leading human and animal health company, and as a partner to patients, veterinarians and health organisations, Boehringer Ingelheim aims to raise awareness of this relationship and encourage doctors to talk with patients about the mutual advantages of such bonds during consultations.
Diseases and disorders of all kind often go hand-in-hand with loneliness, but four-legged friends can help people feel less alone and improve their lives, just by being there. And the relationships between pets and their owners are as diverse and unique as the people themselves.
About Boehringer Ingelheim
Improving the health and quality of life of patients is the goal of the research-driven pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim. The focus in doing so is on diseases for which no satisfactory treatment option exists to date. The company therefore concentrates on developing innovative therapies that can extend patients' lives. In animal health, Boehringer Ingelheim stands for advanced prevention.Family-owned since it was established in 1885, Boehringer Ingelheim is one of the pharmaceutical industry’s top 20 companies. Some 50,000 employees create value through innovation daily for the three business areas human pharmaceuticals, animal health and biopharmaceuticals. In 2017, Boehringer Ingelheim achieved net sales of nearly 18.1 billion euros. R&D expenditure, exceeding three billion euros, corresponded to 17.0 per cent of net sales.
As a family-owned company, Boehringer Ingelheim plans in generations and focuses on long-term success. The company therefore aims at organic growth from its own resources with simultaneous openness to partnerships and strategic alliances in research. In everything it does, Boehringer Ingelheim naturally adopts responsibility towards mankind and the environment.