Keeping a cat or dog in the house with your newborn may protect them from infections, a new Finnish study suggests.
Children who grew up with a dog had 31 percent fewer respiratory infections, 44 percent fewer ear infections, and needed 29 percent fewer antibiotic prescriptions than children who grew up without pets, MyHealthNewsDaily reported July 9. Cats also offered some protection to newborns, though to a much lesser degree than Fido, the study shows.
?We speculated that maybe the dogs somehow can bring dirt or soil inside the house, and then the immune system is strengthened, or maybe it?s something about the animals themselves,? says study researcher Eija Bergroth, M.D., a pediatrician at the Kuopio University Hospital in Finland.
In any case, there?s no reason to worry about your child getting sick from your pet, she says.
Children who grow up with cats and dogs also have lower levels of asthma and fewer allergies than those who grow up without pets, prior research shows.
The study appears in the August 2012 issue of the journal Pediatrics.
(Photo ? Ruthart via Flickr)
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