The idea that pets were bad for kids gained traction with a 1997 in Germany. These findings led to the belief that avoiding any kind of early-life exposure to pets could spare children from developing allergies to animals. In the early 2000s, however, an opposing trend emerged. A number of studies and systematic reviews started to suggest what at first seemed counterintuitive: exposure to pets in the very early stages of life might confer protective benefits and prevent the development of allergic rhinitis, asthma and a skin condition called eczema. My piece looks at all the available scientific evidence to try to answer the question of whether early pet exposure prevents or triggers allergic reactions in children.
