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Pets

Rover Offers Owners A Healthy “Leash” On Life

Posted: 11/12/2010

Walking a dog can help your health and your happiness.

(NAPSI) - Pets can be more than loyal companions. Our four-legged friends can offer many health benefits to their owners.

“Pets offer a surprising number of emotional and physical health benefits, from improved physical fitness to stress reduction,” said Dr. Damon Tanton, endocrinologist and co-director of the Metabolic Medicine and Surgery Institute at Florida Hospital in Celebration, Fla.

According to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), people with pets tend to spend more time walking and being active outside. In addition to staying fit, the CDC also says that owning pets can decrease your:

• Blood pressure

• Cholesterol levels

• Triglyceride levels

• Feelings of loneliness.

In fact, recent research shows that a person who regularly walks a dog is more physically active, has a lower body mass index (BMI), suffers from fewer chronic conditions and depressive symptoms and has greater social support than his or her pet-free counterpart.

Seventy-year-old Cindy is living proof that pets can encourage healthy habits. Five years ago, Cindy, a retired office manager, mother of three and grandmother, learned that she had type 2 diabetes, a serious chronic condition affecting approximately 22 million people in the U.S. She credits her French bulldog, Miss Ellie, with helping keep her health on track. Cindy and her canine companion take multiple daily walks and enjoy plenty of time outdoors-activities Cindy rarely made time for before getting a pet.

“When I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, I was pretty overwhelmed with how to manage it. Around the same time, I got Miss Ellie, and we started walking together. Miss Ellie is not just a dog-she is part of the family. And as my walking partner, she is helping me to control my diabetes through regular exercise,” said Cindy.

In addition to walks with Miss Ellie and maintaining a healthy diet, Cindy manages her diabetes by taking BYETTA® (exenatide) injection, a twice-a-day medication that helps control blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes.

Cindy adds, “I am doing all I can to stay healthy and manage my diabetes-from working with my doctor to find a treatment that helps control my blood sugar to eating healthy foods and keeping active.”

BYETTA may not be for everyone. People living with type 2 diabetes should talk with their doctor about finding the right medication to manage their disease.

Important safety information you should know for BYETTA is BYETTA is not insulin and should not be taken instead of insulin. BYETTA is not recommended to be taken with insulin. BYETTA is not for people with type 1 diabetes or people with diabetic ketoacidosis.

Based on post-marketing data, BYETTA has been associated with acute pancreatitis, including fatal and non-fatal hemorrhagic or necrotizing pancreatitis. The risk for getting low blood sugar is higher if BYETTA is taken with another medicine that can cause low blood sugar, such as a sulfonylurea. BYETTA should not be used in people who have severe kidney problems, and should be used with caution in people who have had a kidney transplant. Patients should talk with their health care provider if they have severe problems with their stomach, such as delayed emptying of the stomach (gastroparesis) or problems with digesting food. Severe allergic reactions can happen with BYETTA.

The most common side effects with BYETTA include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness, headache, feeling jittery and acid stomach. Nausea most commonly happens when first starting BYETTA, but may become less over time.

These are not all the side effects from use of BYETTA. A health care provider should be consulted about any side effect that is bothersome or does not go away.

As Cindy will attest, having a pet can be a key motivator in staying active, which is especially important for people with type 2 diabetes.

“The number of people affected by type 2 diabetes has increased dramatically over the last 20 years. Combining exercise with diet and medication while working closely with your physician can help patients effectively manage their disease,” said Dr. Tanton.

For additional important safety information about BYETTA, please see the full Prescribing Information (www.BYETTA.com/pi) and Medication Guide (www.BYETTA.com/mg).

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