While eating right and exercise are important components of maintaining a healthy heart, sharing your home with a pet can be another way to boost your cardiovascular health, according to health research institutes. Owning a pet is linked to lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol levels and lower triglyceride levels.

While your pet provides plenty of health benefits that boost your well being, it relies on you for all of its own health needs.

Establishing a relationship with a trusted veterinarian ensures that your pet gets the necessary care for long-term health. Your pet should see a veterinarian at least once a year  (twice a year as they get older)  to check for any potential health problems and to keep up to date on any health maintenance needs such as vaccinations. Call your veterinarian today to make a check-up appointment for your pet.

If you have a dog, your daily walk together gives both of you needed exercise. Cats often enjoy active play with an owner-controlled string or fishing-pole toy, so it’s easy to get small bursts of activity in throughout your day when you’ve got a feline in the home. Even pet owners with rabbits, hamsters or birds get more exercise than those without any pets because feeding, cage maintenance and playing with your pet are all sources of physical activity.

Owning pets may be particularly beneficial to kids. According to medical study, children living with two or more dogs or cats in the household during infancy are less likely to have allergies by age six or seven . Pets also provide needed emotional support when a child is upset or troubled, and pets can help children develop empathy and responsibility.

Older adults often have more healthcare needs, but owning pets can help keep them healthier as they age. Adults 65 and older who have a pet are better able to maintain and improve their ability to handle activities of daily living, which means that owning a pet can help you live independently for longer. Pets also provide social companionship for senior adults, which is vital to psychological health and well being.

If you have a chronic condition or disability, pets can act as a health monitor and alert you or others to potential problems. In some cases, dogs can alert owners to an impending epileptic seizure or dangerous changes in blood sugar levels, according to a published medical report.