Can dogs protect you from asthma?

Good news, future parents! A recent study found that children who are raised with a dog in the house might be building a resistance to asthma and other allergies.

Don't rush out and adopt a litter of puppies just yet, though. The study found that although among the 3,000 children studied, those with dogs were "less at risk from becoming sensitised to pollens and inhaled allergens -- the triggers for asthma and wheezing, allergic rhinitis and eczema -- than counterparts in dog-less homes," kids with dogs are just as likely to actually contract asthma, etc., as kids without. The scientists running the study plan to test the children as they grow older to see if the positive benefits show up more clearly in later childhood.

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Comments

[Pet Urn Provider]

That's really interesting information and am glad I came across it. A friend's allergy doctor told them to hold off on giving their dog away when they found out their child was mildly allergic to it -- Turns out the child ended up growing out of it.

Mary