No more sneezing

It is traditionally thought that allergy sufferers shouldn't have a furry or feathered friend. However, recent scientific evidence suggests that the opposite may hold true and pets have an important role to play in building up a child's immune system. Children who live with a cat or dog in their first years of life have a lower incidence of hay fever and asthma and are less likely to develop animal-related allergies. Recent studies also show that the immune systems of children (particularly between the ages of five and eight) of pet-owning families are more stable than those of children from non-pet owning families - the result being that making pet-owning children are better able to fend off illness. (see PHC 'Pets & Allergies' leaflet on this website).

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