A recent Swedish study has found that having a dog in your household can be beneficial for the prevention of asthma in children. According to the study, exposing your child to a dog in the first year of his/her life can decrease the risk of asthma by 13%.

However, more evidence is still needed as past studies on the same subject have found conflicting results. One thing’s for sure, if your child already has asthma, it’s not a good idea to get a puppy.

When dogs and other animals groom themselves, they lick their fur and skin. The dead skin mixed with their saliva produces dander, and it is this dander that causes allergic reactions in most people. According to the Charity Allergy UK, half of all asthmatic children are allergic to cats while 40% are allergic to dogs.