anyone got any info on pros/cons of being brought up around animals in terms of allergies and general health?

[SmileysPeeple]

I have the idea in my head that it is actually a positive thing for childrens general health and makes them less likely to develop allergies.

I have even told a few people this, but now realise that my vague notion has no back up in my theoretical knowledge.

Can anyone who knows more, either put me sraight or confirm my vague notion?

[chocolatespiders]

i am not sure...

dd1 is fine with our cat

but dd2 has asthma, her eyes itch her if cat comes near her and is generally poorly quite a lot

[wb]

Well, it didn't work in my case, but my family does have a history of allergies.

My parents had a rabbit when I was born, by age 2 I was so allergic to it that they had to give it away. They used to take me down to thelocal stables to see the horses then too, and I can't go near them either. To this day I am extremely allergic to both horses and rabbits - much more so than cats, which also set off my asthma.

[suedonim]

I've been told this by doctors but I've no idea if it's true or not. We've always had cats and, right enough, none of my dc is allergic to cats, although they have allergies to plenty of other things.

[SmileysPeeple]

Thanks for your replues.

I was hoping for some science buffs to refer to research that had been done on this, as I'm sure there has been.

Obviously being around animals will not prevent allergies but may it possibly rediuce the instance?

It's part of the idea that we are too keen to live in antibac environments and that it is actually not good for our health.

This is again something I beleive but I'd like more info on the research.

I need some science bods.

[girlfrommars]

Is this the kind of thing you mean?
here

[williamsmummy]

in terms of preventing allergies, before they happen, there is a study and notes to follow.

Most studies are linked to the hygeine theory and the link to farm children having little in the way of allergic disease and asthma.

the conclusion was that for a woman to make sure her child does not develop allergies, she must ,
work closely with the animals, before preganacy, and during pregnancy, and let infant have same closeness afterwards.

For work closely, it mainly means contact with animals and their brown bi- products ( if you get what I mean.)
most farm animals qualify, for this allergie preventing attribute, however this is not true of pigs.
Pig farmers are quite unhealthy people, and have a high rate of asthma.

So, gets some cows, get shovel, get some brown smelly stuff up close and personal..............sniff, lovely smell that country air!!!

[PrettyCandles]

My SIL sent me some info, scientific abstracts etc, showing that research has shown that children exposed to two or more animals before 12m are significantly less likely to develop asthma. I believe they were refering to pets that lived in the house with the child, or livestock that the child had regular contact with.

Unfortunately I don't remember where I put the papers!

[MelissaClaire]

Hi,
I have always been around animals and grew up on a farm. Throughout both pregnancies I was around animals. But, my husband and I have a history of allergies (severe) but not related to animals.

DD who is 4 has no allergies. DS who is now 2 has asthma and bad allergies. He has had two analphatic (sorry about spelling) reactions to coming in contact with egg (not eating it). When he was 6 months he had skin prick tests and reacted badly to cat allergens (among others) and we have two cats. When he was around them as a baby his skin would react badly.

The doctor (who is a specialist in allergies and asthma) suggested we don't get rid of the cats to see if he improved. So, we kept the cats in one room which he didn't go in at all, then he went in for 5 minutes a day, which we slowly increased. I also have a horse share, and when I would come in from riding, I could not pick him up without him wheezing or coming up in hives. 18 months on he is now fine with the cats, and horses. The only allergy that remains is his egg allergy and his asthma now seems virus related.

Not sure if this helps or not!

[Brangelina]

Here's a reply from a pediatrician

And here's an NIH report

Apparently you need at least 2 pets though.....

[Jojay]

I don't know any scientific theories, but this is my experience.

I grew up with dogs and horses and never suffered any sort of allergy to them.

Then I left home, went to uni and bought my own house, and stopped riding, and had no dog.

Now when I go and visit my Dad, who has a dog, I sneeze like mad.

DH on the other hand was always allergic to cats, and when one decided to move in with us, as they do, he sneezed and had very itchy skin. The cat refused to move out though, and within a few months these symptoms disappeared. Now DH, DS, the cat and I all live happily under the same roof with no problems.

DS does wheeze a bit and gets mild excema but it's not cat related - he wheezes when he has a cold and gets excema when we use bubble bath or soap to wash him, or don't moisturise him enough.

My (very unscientific) theory after all this, is that some people can build up a tolerance to allergens if exposed to them on a regular basis - it certainly seems the case with DH and me, and DS isn't allergic at all.