Got Baby - Get Dog

New Study Asserts Babies Raised With Dogs (In The Home) Are Healthier

07/11/2012

The Family Dog = The New Baby Wellness Plan?
We all know that a dog is man's best friend, but could a dog be a baby's best friend too?
A new study indictes that this is quite possibly the case.
According to a study in the medical journal Pediatrics, infants living in households with dogs are healthier and have fewer ear infections than those without a dog, the study found. Researchers also found that cats appeared to offer some protection, but the link wasn't as strong.
[Case in Point: Watch a baby go into hysterics over a happy, bubble-popping pup [VIDEO] -- this site]

The study, posted online this week and based on 397 children who lived in rural and suburban parts of Finland, examined whether contact with dogs and cats during a baby's first year offers any protection from respiratory tract infections, such as colds and resulting common ear infections. "The children having dogs at home were healthier, had less ear infections and they needed less antibiotics," says Eija Bergroth, the study's lead author and a pediatrician affiliated with Kuopio University Hospital in Kuopio, Finland.
[Related: Dog saves new family from home intruder only six hours after being rescued from the shelter! -- this site]
The study tracked just under 400 babies and the researchers say the results are statistically significant because they relied on weekly questionnaires filled out by parents.
The Straight Poop. Literally.
One theory is dogs that spend a lot of time outside likely bring more dirt and bacteria inside the home compared with dogs and cats that spend more time indoors, she said. Researchers believe that exposure to dirt and bacteria builds up babies' immune systems.
source: The Wall Street Journal