Does keeping a pet protect a child from developing allergies, or trigger allergies? Frankly, I am getting more and more confused.

If we were to base it on the hygiene hypothesis, there is reason to believe that growing up with pets could help "prime" a child's immune system and thus prevent allergies later on. However, there are also studies indicating that having cats at home, for example, raise the risk of the allergic sensitisation of young children.

An article in the Scientific American discusses how complicated this issue is and how difficult it is to conclusively declare whether pets are allergy friends or foes.

Bottomline?

"If you want to get to get a pet to try and prevent allergies, that's probably not a good reason," he explains. But "if the kids really want the pet-if you want the pet-then go ahead, as long as you're not having any symptoms when you get exposed."