WebMD Health News
Fluffy and Fido may look innocent, but they are at the heart of a controversy among allergy specialists on the influence pets have on a child’s risk of developing allergies.
A growing body of evidence suggests that pets in the home may actually have a protective effect against developing pet allergies, at least for the first seven years of life, researchers at the recent annual conference of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology say.
Vital Information:
- There has been a controversy among allergy specialists as to how pets influence childhood allergies, but new evidence shows that pet ownership in early childhood may have a protective effect against developing pet allergies.
- In a study of more than 700 children, those who lived with a cat or a dog since the first year of their life were less likely to show indicators for allergy, and this effect was even more pronounced in first-born children.
- Researchers caution that this protective effect may not extend to asthma, and owning a pet may cause severe asthma attacks in some people.
Before giving up a pet or before NOT allowing pets in the house due to allergy concerns please read some of these updated links on pets and allergies and the new studies done then discuss with your family doctor….
