2023_NorthStarVets_Pets_Digital_Issue

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HAPPY, HEALTHY PETS <strong>Pets</strong> Can Make You Happier Bring a pet into your life and reduce stress, improve your well-being—and gain one very sweet cuddle buddy. Now here’s something to smile about! Having a pet in your life can make you happier. Studies show that pets can reduce stress in people and improve their physical and mental well-being. “When we see, touch, hear or talk to our companion animals, we feel goodwill, joy, nurturing and happiness,” according to the American Heart Association (AHA). “At the same time, stress hormones are suppressed.” Watching fish swim in a tank, for example, has been shown to reduce feelings of stress in observers. The simple act of petting a dog can lower a person’s blood pressure, according to the AHA, and reduce the stress hormone cortisol. Interacting with a dog can also increase levels of the “love hormone” oxytocin, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine, bringing feelings of joy and happiness to the human in an animal’s life. Take the story of Montclair-based veterinary oncologist Dr. Renee Alsarraf. Her book Sit, Stay, Heal: What Dogs Can Teach Us About Living Well chronicles how the dogs in her life helped her heal during her own battle with cancer. Dr. Alsarraf lists countless benefits of having an animal in your life, and says that pets can “absolutely” help people during the healing process. “Just the act of having a dog or a cat, something warm who loves you right back, that you take care of, is so helpful,” she says. She notes that pets are often used to help people suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and that therapy dogs have been used to help children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Some schools utilize therapy dogs to provide emotional support to students following a traumatic event or on a regular basis. Therapy dogs are also used across New Jersey in hospitals, nursing homes and other facilities to provide comfort and to reduce anxiety and stress in the people there. Atlantic Health System’s Soothing Paws Pet Therapy Program facilitates visits between patients and trained dogs (who are accompanied by hospital volunteers). The program runs at Chilton Medical Center in Pompton Plains, Goryeb Children’s Hospital in Morristown, Hackettstown Medical Center, Morristown Medical Center, Newton Medical Center, Overlook Medical Center in Summit and Atlantic Rehabilitation in Cedar Knolls. The therapy dogs, who all receive intense training, travel to emergency departments, the intensive care unit, cancer units and other departments with the mission of helping patients in need. As Atlantic Health System notes on its website: “Pet therapy can have many physical and emotional benefits for hospital patients, including reduced blood pressure and stress.” Notably, pets also provide companionship. Studies have found that pets can reduce loneliness, boost a person’s mood and increase a person’s “feelings of social support,” according to the National Institutes of Health. Those factors have never more important than during the Covid-19 pandemic and in its wake, as people are still readjusting to interacting in social settings. A great way to enjoy time with your dog and reap additional physical and mental health benefits is to get active and exercise together. Take a hike, or go for a brisk walk around your neighborhood. A dual exercise session not only strengthens the human-animal bond, but it provides a multitude of physical benefits (from cardiovascular health to weight management to help with joints and movement) and mental benefits for both humans and dogs. Exercise can even increase happiness in pets and humans through the release of endorphins. <strong>Pets</strong> can also give people a great excuse to get out there and be social with other pet parents. While out for a walk around your neighborhood, strike up a conversation with a fellow pet parent or two. Grab a coffee at a pet-friendly joint and chat with the dogs and pet parents around you. Several bars and restaurants in New Jersey, including Wonder Bar in Asbury Park and a number of chef David Burke’s restaurants, even host dog-friendly happy hour events, where both dogs and pet parents can socialize and have a night out that is, hopefully, filled with lots of happy vibes. PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK 26 NorthStarVETS ® .com
HAPPY HEALLTHY PETS Comprehensive Cancer Care NorthStar VETS supports pets and pet parents throughout treatment. From dogs to cats to rabbits, all types of animals can get cancer. Such a diagnosis can be overwhelming for pet parents, and the veterinarians at NorthStar VETS® understand the importance of both expert medical treatment and compassionate care. When a pet is diagnosed with cancer, radiation, chemotherapy and/or surgery may be used in their treatment plan— which specialists at NorthStar VETS® carefully map out. Stereotactic radiation (which is also known as SRS/SRT/SBRT) is a type of therapeutic radiation that is a new option for pets being treated at NorthStar VETS®. It is a least-invasive and nonsurgical option. SRT is used in one of two ways—in patients with localized cancer that has not spread significantly, or instead of a complex surgery in an important area of the body such as the spine or brain—to either shrink a tumor or slow its growth. In addition to the brain and spine, SRT can be used to treat tumors in the head and neck, kidneys, liver, lungs, pancreas, pelvic canal, thyroid and other areas of the body. Treatment typically requires just 1-3 sessions, compared to conventional radiation, which can take 15-21 sessions for patients to receive similar results. While radiation can be known to cause side effects including redness and irritation, the side effects are often minimal for a pet using SRT. Part of a pet’s cancer treatment plan at NorthStar VETS® can also include services from the Integrative Medicine department, a specialty that blends treatments from both holistic and conventional medicine, and utilizes Eastern medicine practices such as herbs, acupuncture, and dietary and lifestyle planning. “This is the oldest form of medicine in the world, and it's been around for this long for a reason,” says Dr. Christopher W. Shapley, a specialist in the Integrative Medicine department at NorthStar VETS®. Integrative Medicine treatments can offer relief for pets from pain, nausea and gastric distress, and typically work in conjunction with other aspects of cancer treatment. Dr. Shapley says herbal formulations can also help treat cancers. “We really have the full package at NorthStar,” Dr. Shapley says. “You have board- certified surgeons that are excellent at removing the tumors. Our boarded oncologist is fantastic at identifying and treating tumors and metastatic cancers. Our Radiation Oncology and Integrative Medicine departments offer every modality to help pets.” Dr. Shapley also thinks about his patients and their families on a personal level. He says: “I’m giving pet parents hope and Christopher W. Shapley, DVM, CVA, CVCH I’m giving pets an increased quality of life.” —Olivia Bardo Pet Perspective 27
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Page 23 and 24: GIFTS FOR PETS 6 The Name Game Hous
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2023_NorthStarVets_Pets_Digital_Issue

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