News

3^rd One Health article (Human-Animal Bond) published…

 —British (United Kingdom) Veterinary Journal Publishes 3rd Article of One Health Series 2014)—

[The 2^nd article “One Health and the food chain: maintaining safety in a globalised industry” was posted in the One Health Initiative website’s NEWS page Sunday, February 23, 2014]

Veterinary Record 2014;174:269-273 doi:10.1136/vr.g1929

Animal-assisted interventions: making better use of the human-animal bond

1.         Daniel Mills, BVSc, PhD, CBiol, FSBiol, FHEA, CCAB, Dip ECAWBM(BM), MRCVS¹ and

2.         Sophie Hall, BSc, PhD²

+ Author Affiliations

1.      ¹School of Life Sciences, University of Lincoln, Riseholme Park, Lincoln LN2 2LG, UK e-mail: dmills@lincoln.ac.uk

2.      ²School of Life Sciences, University of Lincoln, Riseholme Park, Lincoln LN2 2LG, UK e-mail: sophie.hall@dmu.ac.uk

 

Abstract

“In the third of Veterinary Record's series of articles promoting One Health, [Drs.] Daniel Mills and Sophie Hall discuss the therapeutic effects of companion animals, the influence of pets on childhood development and how researchers are elucidating the true value of animal companionship.

IT HAS been proposed that the One Health initiative should be extended to ‘One Welfare’, in recognition of the diverse links between the welfare of human beings and other animals (^{Anon 2012}). This is particularly true for companion animals, with a growing body of evidence indicating the diverse stress-ameliorating effects of the relationships between people and pets; however, their importance to mental and physical health from a developmental perspective (particularly for people) is perhaps not given the attention it deserves. This is potentially a serious oversight for healthcare professionals, policymakers and government, at a time when there are concerns over the growing cost of public healthcare in the industrialised world. Indeed, in the current economic climate, there is perhaps a greater need than ever to consider novel approaches to preventive healthcare, such as the value of animal companionship, since such approaches are potentially more cost-effective and socially acceptable than technological solutions. Companion animals should not be considered a luxury or unnecessary indulgence, but rather, when cared for ‘Companion animals should not be considered a luxury or unnecessary indulgence, but rather, when cared for appropriately, they should be seen as valuable contributors to human health and wellbeing’ appropriately, they should be seen as valuable contributors to human health and wellbeing and, as a result, society and the broader economy. …”

On March 17, 2014 Veterinary Record Journal provided the One Health Initiative website an “open access” link to the 3^nd article of their 2014 One Health series, “Animal-assisted interventions: making better use of the human-animal bond”.  

Please read entire article at:  http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/content/174/11/269.full

 

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Laura Feetham
Assistant Editor, Veterinary Record and In Practice
BMJ, BMA House, Tavistock Square, London, WC1H 9JR
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