Babies Who Grow Up with Dogs Have Stronger Lungs and Lower Asthma Risk

Dr. Joseph Mercola - Take Control of Your Health

Briana Mercola

Health & Fitness, Health, Alternative Health

4.6 • 1.5K Ratings

🗓️ 5 November 2025

⏱️ 7 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Babies exposed to dog allergens early in life have about a 48% lower risk of developing asthma by age 5, and show stronger lung function compared to children raised in pet-free homes
Exposure to dogs helps 'train' your child's immune system, teaching it to tolerate harmless allergens instead of overreacting to them — a key factor in preventing asthma and allergies later in life
The protective effects are even greater in children genetically predisposed to poor lung health, showing that environmental exposure to dogs can offset inherited asthma risks
Children who grow up with female dogs or with multiple dogs in the home have a lower risk of asthma, likely due to reduced exposure to certain allergens and a richer variety of beneficial microbes
Beyond pets, improving indoor air quality, supporting gut and nasal microbiome health, and reducing toxins like seed oils and EMF exposure help strengthen your child's immune system and respiratory resilience

Transcript

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0:00.0	What if the key to lowering your child's asthma risk is as simple as growing up with a dog?
0:05.0	Welcome to Dr. Mercola's cellular wisdom. Stay informed with quick, easy-to-listen
0:10.0	summaries of our latest articles, perfect for when you're on the go. No reading required.
0:15.0	Subscribe for free at Mercola.com for the latest health insights.
0:18.0	Hello, and welcome to Dr. Mercola's cellular wisdom. I'm Ethan Foster,
0:23.9	and today we're looking at new evidence that early life exposure to dogs is linked to stronger
0:28.8	lungs and a markedly lower risk of asthma by age five. I'm Alara Sky. The research you'll hear
0:35.6	about today examines how dog allergens and the microbes dogs bring into your home
0:39.8	may help train your child's immune system to respond appropriately, rather than overreact to harmless particles.
0:47.2	A recent study from the hospital for sick children in Toronto analyzed 1,050 infants in the Canadian Child cohort study to see how early
0:57.0	indoor exposures relate to asthma at age 5.
1:00.0	Dust from the home was tested at 3 to 4 months for the dog protein, can F1, the cat protein,
1:07.0	feld D1, and bacterial endotoxin, and the children later had physician assessments and
1:14.0	FEV-1 lung function testing. Those infants with higher early exposure to the dog allergen
1:20.2	can F-1 had about a 48% lower risk of developing asthma by age 5, and they also showed stronger
1:27.0	lung function.
1:28.3	In contrast, higher exposure to cat allergens or endotoxin did not show a protective effect in this analysis.
1:36.3	The findings were even more compelling in children genetically predisposed to poorer lung health.
1:42.3	Genetic screening of blood samples suggested that dog exposure
1:45.7	appeared to offset some inherited risk, pointing to an environmental lever parents can control.
1:51.8	Mechanistically, the researchers highlighted the nasal microbiome as a likely factor.
1:57.5	Early exposure to dog-derived allergens and microbes may support a balanced microbial community
	...

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