Jill Harness
Dogs May Prevent Asthma In Kids
by Jill Harness - December 1, 2009 - 4:39 PM

Dog-1

A recent study by the University of Arizona has shown that having a dog around children will not cause asthma, and may actually help prevent it. The National Institutes of Health were so impressed with the results of the study that they are investing almost a million dollars into a grant to have the researchers make their results more conclusive.

“Several longitudinal studies have shown that exposure to certain domestic animals, for example, indoor dogs, during a person’s early life (even possibly before he or she is born) is associated with strong protection against asthma and asthma-related conditions later in life,” Serrine Lau, a member of the research team said.

So if you were hesitant to get a dog because they were afraid their children may develop breathing problems, you may want to reconsider.

[Photo: Charlotte & Bailey English.]

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Comments (11)

  1. That’s a lovely photo.

    posted by Brett on 12-1-2009 at 5:18 pm

  2. It’s the cats you have to watch out for. Yuck.

    posted by Shasta on 12-1-2009 at 5:21 pm

  3. We’ve had cats and dogs even before our children were born, believe an article I read that suggested having animals around children when they’re young helped diminish their chances of developing allergies. My husband suffers from allergies, but both our kids are allergy-free! My niece, on the other hand, lives in an animal-free house and has allergies (along with her dad).

    posted by Lise on 12-1-2009 at 5:53 pm

  4. I had terrible allergies and asthma when I was very little. We had always had one cat, but around kindergarten we started collecting more furry friends, having up to 11 in the house at one time. My symptoms steadily improved over time.

    posted by LT on 12-1-2009 at 7:00 pm

  5. When I was growing up (and having mild asthma attacks), several “old-timers” suggested we get a dog, usually a chihuahua, as they would “take” the asthma away.

    This seems to be a wide-spread old wives’ tale prevalent in the South, especially among older folks. Anyone else heard something like this? Maybe there is some wisdom to this old saying.

    posted by Tony S on 12-1-2009 at 7:13 pm

  6. I’ve also heard that people with cat allergies can acquire a kitten (before they grow their adult fur) and, as kittens are non-allergenic, their bodies will become accustomed to that particular cat’s chemistry and they will not be allergic to it as it grows.
    It also seems to be common understanding that ‘farm kids’ aren’t allergic to–well, almost everything. My father grew up on a farm and has no allergies at all. My mother grew up in a cat and dog household and is allergic to many many things, including some foods, but NOT including animals.

    posted by V on 12-1-2009 at 9:20 pm

  7. my mom grew up in a farm and she has allergies to everything like scented soap, lotion, laundry detergent etc.it will make her face super red and blotchy and she sneezes a lot around dust and cats.
    but she has no food allergies and she says when she was living there she was NEVER sick

    posted by nerdbot on 12-2-2009 at 1:54 am

  8. My husband was raised with a dog..when he was little, it used to actually put him on its back and walk around with him riding the dog. He does have asthma, though. His asthma only subsided in college. (He stopped having a dog in elementary school.)

    posted by Nicole on 12-2-2009 at 8:47 am

  9. My kid grew up around dogs and still developed asthma. Grandma was his daycare when he was a baby and she had to give her house dog away to keep the kid breathing.

    At 12, he still gets wheezy when we visit someone who has an indoor dog. His little sisters have grown up dog-free and they have no issues.

    I am not saying that the dog did or did not cause asthma, but my anecdotal case does not support the University of Arizona findings.

    posted by n2y2 on 12-2-2009 at 12:48 pm

  10. n2y2, I think it is one of those things where there are always exceptions to the rules.

    posted by Jill on 12-2-2009 at 1:06 pm

  11. The source article ( http://uanews.org/node/27898 ) only states that there is an association between the two variables.

    It is not just as likely that families without a history of breathing problems are more likely to buy pets?

    posted by Shmoopty on 12-5-2009 at 6:42 pm

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