Dog Ownership and Survival: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Kramer CK, Mehmood S, Suen RS

Circulation. Cardiovascular quality and outcomes · October 1, 2019

Background: Dog ownership has been associated with decreased cardiovascular risk, but it is unclear if dog ownership is associated with improved survival. Methods And Results: Ten studies were included yielding data from 3,837,005 participants (530,515 events; mean follow-up 10.1 years). Dog ownership was associated with a 24% risk reduction for all-cause mortality as compared to nonownership (relative risk, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.67-0.86). Notably, in individuals with prior coronary events, living in a home with a dog was associated with an even more pronounced risk reduction for all-cause mortality (relative risk, 0.35; 95% CI, 0.17-0.69). Dog ownership conferred a 31% risk reduction for cardiovascular death (relative risk, 0.69; 95% CI, 0.67-0.71). Conclusions: Dog ownership is associated with lower risk of death over the long term, which is possibly driven by a reduction in cardiovascular mortality.

PMID: 31592726 · DOI: 10.1161/CIRCOUTCOMES.119.005554