Fearing that their children will have allergic reactions to animals, parents oppose keeping pets at home. However, studies show that the frequency of allergic diseases in children aged 7-9 years decreases in proportion to the increase in the number of pets since infancy. Allergic reactions are much less common in children who start to have cats or dogs before they are 1 year old. Allergy Specialist and Allergy, Asthma Association President Prof. Dr. Ahmet Akcay; He said that feeding cats and dogs at home at an early age will reduce the risk of developing diseases such as asthma and allergic rhinitis in the future.
FEEDING CAT AND DOG REDUCE THE DEVELOPMENT OF ASTHMA AND ALLERGIC DISEASES
prof. Dr. Ahmet Akçay made a statement on the subject; ‘The existence of a protective effect from allergies caused by feeding pets is also supported by immunological data. In principle, it has been stated that two different mechanisms may contribute to the protective effect of pet feeding. First, exposure to cat or dog hair containing large amounts of allergens of the relevant species can induce high-dose clinical tolerance to the allergens, thereby reducing the risk of cat and dog allergies. Many studies have shown that keeping pets at home before children reach the age of one reduces the risk of developing allergic diseases to pets.
LIVING WITH A PET REGULATES IMMUNITY
Second, cohabitation of pets can provide a “mini-farm” environment with microbes or other immunomodulatory factors that exert a wide modifying effect on the child’s immune development, leading to tolerance not only to the pet itself but also to food and airway allergens. By having a flora dominated by beneficial microbes, the intestinal flora reduces intestinal permeability, and as a result, it can reduce the development of food allergy, asthma and other allergic diseases.