Good Boy! Scientists Reveal Which Illnesses Your Pet Dog Helps Protect Against

Two studies presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology in Boston have found that having a dog in your home reduces the risk of eczema among infants and the negative effects of childhood asthma.

The researchers' findings, presented at the ongoing annual meeting, showed that the children of mothers who spend a minimum of one hour a day with pet dogs during pregnancy are significantly less likely to suffer from allergic eczema, a group of diseases which results in the inflammation of the skin. 

"We found that a mother's exposure to dogs before the birth of a child is significantly associated with lower risk of eczema by age 2 years, but this protective effect goes down by age 10," said allergist Dr. Edward M. Zoratti, co-author of the study.

The second study found that having a dog around the house helps protect against the effects of childhood asthma. Researchers discovered that the bacteria carried by our four-legged companions may play a special protective role against asthma symptoms. However, researchers also found that exposure is not always positive when it comes to urban children who have an allergy to dogs.

"Among urban children with asthma who were allergic to dogs, spending time with a dog might be associated with two different effects," Dr. Po-Yang Tsou, the study's lead author, explained. "There seems to be a protective effect on asthma of non-allergen dog-associated exposure, and a harmful effect of allergen exposure." The study concludes that factors other than dog allergens, such as bacteria or other unknown factors, may provide for the protective effect.