New Study to Investigate Impact of Pets on Recovery of the Gut Microbiome Following Antibiotic Regimen in Older Adults

The Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI) and IDEXX today hosted Dr. Katharine Watson MA, BVMS, discussing her active HABRI-funded study on the association of pet ownership, the gut microbiome, and cardiovascular disease risk among older adults. This is the fifth virtual lecture in the IDEXX Human-Animal Bond Lecture Series, which focuses on new research exploring the influence of pet ownership on human health. Dr. Watson, a small animal veterinarian and epidemiology doctoral student in the Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology at Indiana University, School of Public Health, is working to determine whether living with a cat or dog is associated with a richer and more diverse gut microbiome in older adults and whether this, in turn, may mediate reduced prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD). “HABRI is grateful for IDEXX for making this lecture possible and for supporting this important research, which has the potential to make a significant contribution to the field of human-animal interaction,” said Steven Feldman, President of HABRI. “Much of the science on the physical health benefits of pets involve the association between pet ownership and physical activity. This research is exciting because it has the potential to shed light on new, physiological underpinnings of the human-animal bond – the relationship between pet ownership, the microbiome and heart health.” The human microbiota is made up of trillions of cells, with the biggest populations residing in the gut. Research has shown the human microbiome is important for our nutrition and immunity to disease, including CVD, through dynamic interactions with the host and environment. More than 20% of inter-person microbiota differences have been found to be related to demographic or environmental factors, and the degree to which pet ownership influences the composition of the gut microbiota in adults is largely unknown. Veterinary professionals who viewed this session live are eligible to...

The Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI) today announced a new grant to research the impact of adopting small animals on pet owner wellbeing. This grant was awarded to a team of researchers led by Principal Investigator Professor Carri Westgarth, Chair in Human-Animal Interaction at the University of Liverpool. This project will use surveys with owners of small pets to examine changes to the owner’s mental and physical wellbeing after the adoption of rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, rats, and mice from a shelter. Researchers will also conduct in-depth interviews with owners of these types of pets, gaining further insight into the human-animal bond and the pet adoption process. “Current research is often focused on dog and cat ownership, and the evidence base regarding health impacts from owning small furry pets is less well developed,” said Carri Westgarth, the Principal Investigator of this study. “Our research will help uncover the impact of owning small furry pets and the experiences people have adopting them from shelters, which we hope will help shelters guide and support successful small pet adoptions.” This study has two parts. In part one, researchers will conduct in-depth, face-to-face interviews with 30 pet owners to examine perceptions and experiences of owning a small pet on owner wellbeing. In part two, researchers will conduct a longitudinal cohort study of 450 new pet owners, following up with participants at 1-month, 3-months, and 6-months after adoption from Woodgreen Pets Charity and other shelters. This will track how the human-animal bond develops over time and measure changes in owners’ psychological, social, and physical health. Researchers expect to find adoption of small shelter pets will lead to positive changes in health outcomes, which will be further enhanced in new pet owners. “Human-animal bond research should include all pet species,” said Steven Feldman, President, HABRI. “HABRI is proud to support research to...

The Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI) will fund a new study conducted by Indiana University-Bloomington’s School of Public Health researchers Drs. Alyce Fly, Ming Li, and Katharine Watson. The researchers aim to characterize the impact of pet ownership on the adult gut microbiota, which has been shown to influence the role of cardiovascular disease (CVD) development. Fly, Li, and Watson hypothesize that differences in the gut microbiota of cat and dog owners relative to non-owners are associated with reduced CVD risk. “Studies have found that living with cats or dogs imparts health benefits associated with the gut microbiota of infants and children, such as a reduced risk of developing asthma and other immune-related diseases,” Principal Investigator Katharine Watson, MA BVMS, explains. “Studies have also shown that gut microbiota health is associated with reduced cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. However, it is not known whether the gut microbiota of adult pet owners differs from non-owners. As pet ownership is associated with benefits to the gut microbiota of infants, it is probable that adults who live with pets may have similar benefits and that these may play a role in CVD risk reduction.” “HABRI is proud to support this novel research into the relationship between pet ownership, gut microbiota, and risk of developing cardiovascular disease,” HABRI Executive Director Steven Feldman notes. “Science tells us that pets can influence the physical and mental health of owners, and this project will explore an important aspect of the physiological underpinnings of the human-animal bond.” Drs. Alyce Fly and Ming Li will serve as co-investigators on the study which may help to determine whether living with a cat or dog is associated with a richer and more diverse adult gut microbiome and whether this, in turn, may mediate reduced prevalence of CVD. CVD is the leading cause of death and disability and the most common non-communicable disease...