Some dogs naturally slip into wannabe parents when a new baby arrives home. They may watch intently as the new human sibling sleeps or bark a little louder when a leaf blows outside the window (potentially unintentionally waking up the baby—sigh). Now, a new study suggests that early-life exposure to a dog may even protect certain children from developing eczema.

The study—conducted by an international team of scientists from the Universities of Edinburgh and Bristol, the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, and Helmholtz Munich—found that early-life exposure to dogs may lower the odds of developing eczema in children who are at a higher genetic risk for the condition. 

However, the study isn’t without some limitations, and experts share that it’s important to understand the signs and other treatments for the common skin condition.

Kenneth Cruse, MD, a pediatrician with Manning Family Children's, often sees parents and patients at a wits’ end because of eczema, which often appears on the face, arms, and legs. Atopic dermatitis, the most common form of eczema, often starts in infancy and impacts up to 20% of kids.

“It is a dry, scaly rash that is very itchy and can be complicated by secondary infections due to incessant scratching by children unable to ‘resist the itch,’” Dr. Cruse explains. “It can be seasonal or yearlong, and complicates bathing, swimming, sleeping, and sports participation for children.”

Eczema is often linked to “an abnormal filaggrin gene,” explains Viktoryia Kazlouskaya, MD, PhD, a dermatologist. That gene is at the heart of the new study, which evaluated data from nearly 300,000 people to assess how people with higher genetic risks of developing eczema might respond to certain environmental factors.

In the first analysis, researchers looked at 25,000 people and saw that there could be a link between seven environmental factors and genetic eczema risk:

Then, the researchers expanded their study to a larger group of nearly 255,000 people to see if they got the same results. 

“The study found a connection between exposure to dogs and one of the gene variants involved in atopic eczema,” explains Dr. Kazlouskaya. “Those who had a dog early in life did not have an increased risk of eczema. This theory was also confirmed on human skin cells—keratinocytes—exposed to dog allergens, which showed a decrease in inflammatory molecules.”

What’s the deal? It may have to do with training (though not of the “sit, stay, come” variety).

“Exposure to dogs in early life may help the immune system develop in a way that reduces inflammation,” says Daniel Ganjian, MD, FAAP, a board-certified pediatrician at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in California. “This could help ‘train' the body not to overreact, lowering the risk of eczema.”

Dr. Cruse notes that the news is promising, but all of the experts Parents spoke with say it’s not conclusive. “It still doesn’t fully explain how dogs provide this protection,” Dr. Ganjian says.

Notably, Dr. Kazlouskaya points out—and researchers concede—that while the sample size is large, the study may not be relevant for a diverse group.

“This study evaluated a gene variant which is more common in the European population, so the data may not be reliable for all races and population groups,” Dr. Kazlouskaya shares.

It’s also unclear whether or not the study might offer hope that there’s a link between exposure to dogs and allergies.

“Since eczema, allergies, and asthma are all related, it’s possible dogs might influence allergy risk too, but this study didn’t prove that,” Dr. Ganjian says. “In fact, for kids who are allergic to dogs, exposure could make things worse.”

Experts share that it’s important for parents to seek care from a professional if they think their child has eczema, whether or not they have a furry friend.

“The best approach is to see a board-certified dermatologist or a pediatrician,” Dr. Kazlouskaya says. "Eczema is a genetic condition, so it may not completely go away."

Dr. Ganjian reports that some regimens a professional might recommend include:

If it's stubborn, Dr. Ganjian notes that common remedies might be:

• Severe cases may need phototherapy or systemic medications

With proper treatment, the whole family can get back to scratching any applicable canine companions behind the ears, rather than worrying about itchy eczema.