Who wouldn't be in awe of the fluffy spoiled little Chihuahua named Chloe of "Beverly Hills Chihuahua"? It is very difficult to resist the overloading cuteness of these furry companions, right? Unfortunately, some people tend to be allergic to them. But the good thing, there are already dogs that are bred to cater to these people. Or are they?
The head researcher Tove Fall of Uppsala University in Sweden said, "Some breeds are described anecdotally as 'hypoallergenic' or allergy friendly' and are said to be more suitable for people with allergies, but there is no scientific evidence for this."
A recent study, which was posted in the journal 'Scientific Reports,' says that dogs such as Afghan Hound, American Hairless Terrier, Bedlington Terrier, and Maltese that are said to be a good choice especially for people who are experiencing pet allergies, still can't guarantee a lower risk of allergy attacks and wheezing lung disease.
Through the study, experts were able to dig deeper into the effects and risks that our furry companion can give. Factors such as breed, sex, and size of the dog, and the number of exposure have been taken into consideration, as posted in Health Day.
Almost 23,600 Swedish, who were born between 2001 and 2004 and had pet dogs in their home when they were a kid, were included in the study. Experts were able to dig deep into the lives of these kids and debunked the relationship of their dog's number, breed, sex, size, and hypoallergenic property to their asthma or allergy attacks.
Taking into consideration the participants' geographical location, parental asthma, and the number of siblings, the results showed that about 5.4 percent of them suffered from asthma when they were six years old. Furthermore, children who have female dogs tend to experience a lower risk of getting asthma, about 16 percent, as compared to those who have males.
Also, the experts found out how living with furry companions in one's first few years can help lessen the risk of getting asthma in the future. The result revealed that children who have two or more dogs are likely to get asthma 21 percent lower compared to those who only have one furry companion with them, according to Bioengineer.
Results also revealed how 'hypoallergenic dogs' can still trigger their owner's allergy attacks of about 27 percent, though it won't do the same with asthma.
Co-author Catarina Almqvist Malmros, Professor in the department of medical epidemiology and biostatistics at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, shared that the limitation of the study is that this research can't prove that dogs can cause asthma or allergies. This can only prove that dogs can trigger the disease.
