Another reason to adopt a pet for your family! On top of teaching your kids compassion and providing a home for a deserving friend, we’ve got another pro-pet-adoption point! A recent study from Kuopio University Hospital in Finland shows that babies who live with pets during their first year of life are approximately one-third more likely to be healthier, and less susceptible to respiratory infections and colds. They found that children exposed to dogs and cats were overall healthier than babies who do not have a pet at home. How much healthier? It seems antibiotics were not needed as much, the children experienced fewer ear infections, not as many runny noses, and suffered less weeks with a cough, according to the study. Although the evidence was strongest for babies exposed to dogs, exposure to cats also showed positive effects. And even more good news is that this research doesn’t stand alone! There have been various studies suggesting that pets in the home, especially dogs, could potentially provide protection for kids against developing allergies or even asthma.

If you’ve been hesitant to adopt a pet for your family because of health or allergy concerns, we hope this study will ease some of your worry and encourage you to consider opening your home to a rescued furry family member. If you’d like to read more about this study, click here!

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Best of Adopting a Cat, Best of Adopting a Dog, Best of Adopting Other Pets, Pets and Allergies |