Why Dog Ownership May Limit Asthma in Children and What That May Mean For Pets

Who is allergic to what, how allergies occur and why they may mysteriously resolve have been the subject of study for generations. It has been known that avoiding an offending substance entirely, helps to avoid unpleasant allergy symptoms, including upper respiratory, gastrointestinal and skin conditions known to be secondary to allergy. Why some individuals and some animals never experience those symptoms or overcome them if they do, remains unclear.

In our pets, especially cats and dogs, several forms of allergy are all too common and very frustrating to treat and manage. Cures are rare and if they occur are mostly spontaneous, rather than attributable to interventions veterinarians may make. Often the best we can do is decrease symptoms to a tolerable level, treat flare-ups and limit exposures where possible.

Now a study done at the University of California, San Francisco suggests that chronic exposure to a given source of allergy trigger substances, may alter the normal flora (bacteria) in the gastrointestinal tract of individuals, and that these changes may protect the individual from allergy sensitivity by a complex biochemical mechanism.

The study exposed mice to dust from houses in which dogs lived. It found that these mice then developed different gut bacteria than unexposed mice. The study suggests exposure to allergens in this way might also “inoculate the GI tract” in babies, and lead to development of a less reactive immune response in the future.

One involved bacteria, Lactobacillus johnsonii, was closely linked to protection against inappropriate allergic responses. Transfer of that bacteria to other mice, also protected the new mice. Their immune reactions were subdued when exposed to the dust, as compared to mice without the transferred bacteria.

Now, this multi-centered research will shift from mice to people, with the aim of developing new therapies based on microbes that might be used to treat or prevent allergic reactions.

Should these discoveries lead to development of a new allergy therapy for people, it is very likely that the new knowledge and agents developed will also help our own animals afflicted with allergies. The future may be brighter (and less itchy) for our allergic pets!