Having a pet at home could protect kids from certain conditions

For many of us, a house isn't a home without a furry friend.

For the sanity's sake, people often put off getting a dog until their kids are a little older but new research shows that having one around could actually be beneficial for a small child's health. It's already known that children who grow up with dogs are less likely to suffer from mental health issues and now it's been discovered that our canine friends could help protect against common conditions like asthma and eczema. This information comes from two new studies. One shows that babies who are born into a home with a dog are more protected against allergic eczema than others. "We found a mother's exposure to dogs before the birth of a child is significantly associated with lower risk of eczema by age 2 years, but this protective effect goes down at age 10," said allergist Edward M. Moratti, co-author of the study. In another study, researchers looked at the effect that both the allergens and the bacteria that dogs carry have on children with asthma. They concluded that exposure to the bacteria on dogs could protect against asthma symptoms in certain cases, though the allergens are still likely to cause a reaction among dog allergy sufferers. Both studies were presented by the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) Annual Scientific Meeting. Each family will know what's right for them when it comes to mixing pets and kids, but it's nice to know that dogs might do more than just provide company around the house.