But owning a dog can change all that. A new study shows that children who live with a dog before they are the age of four have a decreased risk for the condition. The same factors also lower the risk of the child becoming allergic to cats.
"'It's speculative, but possible that the protective effect is due to a sort of natural immunotherapy where children who are exposed to dogs become tolerant over time in the same way that people on allergy shots develop tolerance to allergens,' said study author Dr. Tolly Epstein, an assistant professor in the division of immunology, allergy and rheumatology at the University of Cincinnati Medical School."
In fact, the higher the dog allergens were in the homes, the less likely the children were to develop eczema at age 4.
Just another benefit of living with kids' best friends!
