Pets and Children: How Pets May Not Boost Children's Health?

Pets carry germs and infections that can cause illness to both parents and children. Different animals also bear various health risks. The most common illness your child might catch from a pet is stomach illness and food poisoning. Some animals carry a more harmful disease that can also affect a child's health, HSE reported.

Infants and children as young as five years old are more prone to get sick from germs that pets or animals usually bear. Young ones often touch surfaces that may be contaminated with animal feces and would put their hands in their mouths.

In terms of having a dog pet, usually standing at approximately eye level with the dog, study shows young ones are more likely to be bitten in the head and neck. Adults reach down to pet a dog which can make them sustain bite injuries to the hand or arm. Furthermore, some pets might get jealous of a new baby. Parents need to ensure the safety of the child first before the pet.

Pitbulls and Rottweilers are considered dangerous breeds of dogs, but sometimes some parents allow dogs around children. Daily Mail suggests that no dog breed is ever safe to be left alone with a child. Whether dogs are well-trained, they will still follow their natural instincts once they feel threatened.

How pets may threaten the child's entire health?

According to a RAND (Research and Development), nonprofit organization, Corporation Study, owning a dog or cat in the home does not boost children's mental and physical health. The study was published online by the journal, Anthrozoos, and is the largest-ever study to determine the beliefs circulating that pets can improve children's health by increasing both physical activities and strengthening young ones' empathy skills.

Layla Parast, a statistician at RAND and co-author of the study, revealed that there is not enough evidence supporting the claim that having dogs or cats at home benefits children's mental and physical health.

"The study analyzed information from more than 2,200 children who lived in pet-owning households in California and compared them to about 3,000 households without a dog or cat." The garnered data was collected as a portion of the California Health Interview Survey, an annual survey that questioned whether participants had pets, along with many health questions, per Daily News.

How having pets negatively affects children?

The study determined that children from pet-owning families tended to have Attention Deficit Disorder/Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

On the other hand, a pet's hair bears dander, an animal protein, which normally causes the irritant. It can also acquire things such as dust mites, pollen, mold, and others that are common asthma triggers. Generally, health care providers do not recommend that people with asthma have a cat or dog in the house due to the risks of asthma attacks.

While many previous studies show pet ownership helps children become healthier, RAND researchers stand firmly with their studies and believe their findings are more relevant and credible due to the large analyzed sample size. Further research is crucial to provide a more comprehensive picture of the pet-health link, the RAND researchers added.

Dr. Leni K. Kaplan of Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine told American Kennel Club that pet owners should not let dog kiss or lick a person's mouth, nose, and eyes as pathogens, salmonella and E.coli, can be transmitted.