Dogs, Infants And Wheezing

I am a happy man today. My two grandchildren, apparently, can hope to avoid wheezing in their lives because their parents were smart enough to raise them with fur-shedding brothers. Now, what will help me get the fur out of my lungs?

Infants Wheeze Less In Homes With Multiple Dogs

Living in a home with multiple dogs may help reduce an infant’s risk for developing wheezing in the first year of life, according to new research from the University of Cincinnati (UC).

Cincinnati researchers, led by David Bernstein, MD, have found that infants living in homes with high levels of endotoxins (bacterial contaminants) and multiple dogs were more than two times less likely to wheeze than other infants.

“Our research presents evidence that pet ownership offers a protective effect against development of lower respiratory symptoms in young children,” adds Bernstein.