Dogs may protect babies from some infections Monday, 09 July
2012 04:50 GMT Babies who spend time around pet dogs have fewer
ear infections and respiratory ailments than those whose homes
are animal-free, said a study released on Monday. The study,
published in the US journal Pediatrics, did not say why but
suggested that being around a dog that spends at least part of
its day outdoors may boost a child's immune system in the first
year of life. Cats, too, seemed to convey some protection to
babies, though the effect observed was weaker than with dogs.
The research was based on 397 children in Finland whose parents
made diary entries each week recording the state of their
child's health during the infant's first year, from nine weeks
to 52 weeks of age. Overall, babies in homes with cats or dogs
were about 30 percent less likely to have respiratory infectious
symptoms -- which included cough, wheezing, rhinitis (stuffy or
runny nose) and fever -- and about half as likely to get ear
infections. "If children ha