Ava Williams
Dogs not only make small children happy, but also healthy. This is the conclusion reached by an international research team after an extensive study in Finland. The scientists conducted a study with around 400 parents who had a child between 2002 and 2005. The aim was to determine whether there is a connection between respiratory diseases in babies and living with a dog in the household.
The young parents kept a diary for a year in which they recorded the state of health of their children. The main focus was on respiratory diseases such as colds or inflammation of the throat or ears. The dog owners among them also described whether and how much their baby came into contact with the animal. After one year, all participants completed a summary questionnaire.
The result of this evaluation showed that the children who lived with a dog in a household in their first year of life suffered less frequently from respiratory infections than children without animal contact. They were also less likely to get ear infections and were given fewer antibiotics to treat them. “Our results suggest that contact with dogs has a positive effect on respiratory diseases,” the researchers conclude in a summary of their study. “This supports the theory that animal contact is important for children and leads to better resistance to respiratory diseases.”
Dogs that spend several hours outside apparently had the best effect on the babies’ health. The researchers see this as an indication that the baby’s immune system was more challenged and therefore adapted more quickly.