Dogs And Cats May Help Prevent Respiratory Illness in Kids

By Kelli Bender Jul 9th 2012

According to ABC News, a recently published study suggests that having pets as a young child can help kids ward off respiratory illness.


Veterinarian Katy Nelson is one of the many believers that think having animals can be a boost to a child's health. Dr. Nelson attributes the lack of colds in her own kids to keeping a clean house and a pet dog. The new study in Pediatrics supports Dr. Nelson, finding that having a pet in the home helped protect infants from respiratory illness.
The scientists involved believe that the results show that pets can help strengthen a child's immune system early in life. The infants that showed the most resistance to illnesses were the ones who shared a home with a dog that was frequently outdoors. Researchers believe these findings were the result of increased exposure, due to the elements and dirt the dog brought in from outside.

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An exception to these findings are children who have allergies to animals. The study did not follow any families with animal allergies. Scientists suggest that parents with animal allergies are likely to pass them on to their children, which could lead to pets being unsafe for these infants. Younger children are likely to have more severe allergic reactions, making it dangerous for child with a predisposition towards animal allergies to have prolonged contact with a cat or dog.

Scientists encourage families without allergies to bring a pet into their child's life, not only because of these recent findings. For several years studies have shown that animals increase happiness and humor in kids, which eventually bolsters their physical health as well.

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