Pet dogs or cats might make babies healthier: study
BEIJING. July 10. KAZINFORM Babies who spend a few weeks with pet dogs or cats have fewer ear infections, coughs or runny noses than those whose homes are animal-free, according to a study in the US journal Pediatrics as quoted by media reports Tuesday, according to Xinhuanet.
The study said Finnish researchers studied 397 infants who were born at hospital between September 2002 and May 2005 for their first year.
Parents filled out weekly diaries starting when the child was nine weeks old, recording information on the babies' health as well as their contact with cats and dogs.
Based on those diaries and a year-end questionnaire, the researchers found babies in homes with cats or dogs were about 30 percent less likely to have respiratory infectious symptoms -- which included cough, wheezing, stuffy and fever -- and about half as likely to get ear infections.
The study did not detail the reason why the furry family members may protect infants against infections but suggested that being around a dog that spent at least part of its day outdoors may boost a child's immune system in the first year of life.
"A possible explanation for this finding might be that the amount of dirt brought inside the home by dogs could be higher in these pet-raising families because the dog spent more time outdoors," wrote lead author Eija Bergroth, Kuopio University Hospital in Finland.
And the dirt and germs a dog brought into the house may cause a child's immune system to mature faster, which made it better at defending against viruses and bacteria that cause respiratory problems, Bergroth added.