Why owning a pet dog can help parents have a healthy baby

Having a pet dog during pregnancy and just after birth can help reduce the child’s chances of developing allergies and becoming obese in later years, according to a new medical study.

Microbes found in the fur of man’s best friend lead to two types of friendly bacteria in humans that are associated with a lower risk of both allergies including asthma and obesity.

But the timing could be vital, particularly to get the bacteria working early in life, said researchers for the specialist journal Microbiome.

It found that having a dog around while the baby is in the womb and for three months after birth increases the likelihood of these bacteria working.

The theory with allergies is a long established one. Children who are exposed to dirt and bugs end up developing an immunity to them, so it is good to get them to play outside when young.

Now epidemiologists from the University of Alberta in Canada have connected the same effect to families with pets and, in particular, dogs.

They studied stool samples from 746 children that were collected as part of a government health programmes over two decades.

They found higher levels of gut microbes Ruminococcus and Oscillospira in those children whose family had a pet and in 70 per cent of cases, a dog.

The microbes are microorganisms or bacteria that live in the digestive tracts of both humans and animals and are linked to lower levels of allergies and obesity.

Researcher, pediatric epidemiologist Anna Kozyrskyj, said: “There’s definitely a critical window of time when gut immunity and microbes co-develop, and when disruptions to the process result in changes to gut immunity.”

The microbes may be passed from animal to human by stroking the fur or simply being in the same environment and can even affect an unborn baby during pregnancy.

Kozyrskyj added: “The abundance of these two bacteria were increased twofold when there was a pet in the house.”

Even if the family owned a dog during pregnancy but gave it away before birth, it increased the chances of the baby having the immunity.

And for those who don’t like dogs and want the same effect, the research may provide a way of developing a ‘dog in a pill’ to help children develop an immunity to allergies and obesity.

Kozyrskyj said: “It’s not far-fetched that the pharmaceutical industry will try to create a supplement of these microbiomes, much like was done with probiotics.”

'Hero' street dogs in India help catch criminal

Two street dogs in the south Indian city of Chennai (Madras) have become the unlikely heroes of a stabbing incident after helping apprehend the perpetrator.

The two chased down and bit a man accused of stabbing one of his former colleagues on the roadside in what police describe as a "revenge attack".

Locals were then able to catch the man, identified as R Raghunath.

The victim is currently receiving treatment for abdominal injuries.

Police say Mr Raghunath attacked the woman because he had lost his job after she accused him of sexual harassment.

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"When they bit him, he could not run because his focus was on the dogs. That is when I and other members of the public got hold of him until the police came and took him away,'' S Raman, a rickshaw driver who takes care of the dogs, told BBC Hindi's Imran Qureshi.

Mr Raman said that the dogs, both of whom are named "puppy", chased the man after the victim, who was stabbed in the stomach, started screaming.

Natasha Chandy, a Bangalore-based Canine Counsellor, told BBC Hindi that the dogs' behaviour was not surprising.

"Dogs on the streets are highly instinctive. They can sense stress and read body language very well. In this case, the dogs may have sensed something wrong, especially if the lady screamed when she was stabbed,'' she said.

She added that it was also not unusual for dogs to go to the rescue of those who are hurt. But, she said that it was also highly likely that the animals' "chase instinct" kicked in because the man ran away.

Hull dog owner Trevor Jackson gives pet dog Princess the kiss of life

An east Hull man has told how he gave his greyhound the kiss of life when she suffered a heart attack.

Trevor Jackson, 57, was walking his pet, Princess, in the streets around his home in Southcoates Lane on Thursday, January 26 when she suffered a sudden heart attack and collapsed.

Fearing for her life, Trevor flagged down the first car he could find. He says two women, possibly in their 20s, stopped immediately in New Bridge Road and drove him straight to a nearby vet while he gave his pet mouth-to-mouth resuscitation in the back of the car.

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After a check-up Princess has now been given the all-clear but Trevor was told that she was just minutes from death.

Bookie Trevor now wants to track down the women who helped them so he can express his gratitude in person.

"I just want to say 'thank you' to them," he said. "It's really quite emotional for me really. It's a memory I've got for life now, and I don't want to not know who it was who helped me.

"It was really scary. I could see straight away that Princess was dying and her face was turning blue in the car. I was just desperately trying to keep her awake."

He said he feared for Princess' life after she collapsed.

"It was around 4.30pm when it happened and I had to get out of the car and run the rest of the way because you can imagine what the traffic was like on Holderness Road at that time," he said.

"I took her straight into the vets and they gave her an injection, medication, some fluids and oxygen.

"I took her for a check-up on Thursday and she's been given the all-clear. There's no lasting effect. I couldn't be more pleased.

"There was no time to stop and talk to the women, but they've helped save her life. The vets told me that she was minutes away from dying."

Non-verbal six-year-old boy and deaf dog learn to communicate using sign language

A six-year-old boy who cannot speak and a deaf dog are a “match made in heaven”, according to the boy's mother.

Connor Guillet is able to communicate with three-year-old boxer Ellie using sign language and has become inseparable from the affectionate rescue animal since the family took her in a week before Christmas.

Connor, who was adopted at four weeks old, was born addicted to opiates, and has since been diagnosed with damage to his brain and nervous system, in addition to a chromosomal disorder called DiGeorge syndrome, and autism.

“Connor is severely delayed psychologically, physically and emotionally,” Ms Guillet told CBS News.

“He is nonverbal and requires speech therapy. It is unknown whether he has the ability to speak with a limited vocabulary.”

Since he also has issues with motor skills, even using sign language is difficult for Connor, but his mother said Ellie is adept at understanding.

The family, from Florida, already had an eight-year-old boxer when they were contacted by a rescue centre in late December, which said it had a deaf animal that only responded to sign language available for adoption.

“I had a lightbulb go off immediately,” Ms Guillet said. “To think that Connor can sign to her and actually communicate with her made my heart melt.”

Connor and his mother met the dog the next day.

“That was it,” Ms Guillet said, adding that Connor petted, kissed, and hugged the dog, who responded by licking the child.

“She was beyond gentle with him,” Ms Guillet said. “Boxers are known to be great with kids, but there is something definitely special about Ellie.”

Ms Guillet agreed to foster the dog to see how she would interact with Connor at home. The pair quickly became inseparable.

They play tug of war, run up and down the slide in the back garden and cuddle on the couch together, Ms Guillet said, adding that, finally, Connor has found a friend he can relate to.

“It warms my heart like nothing else,” said Ms Guillet, adding that she is now going to adopt Ellie and "make her a permanent member of the family".

Pet dog sick after eating palm oil on Broadstairs beach

A couple have spoken of the moment they found out their beloved pet had been poisoned when it ate palm oil washed up on a beach.

John Watterson and his wife Jean realised three-year-old Vulcan was ill when he vomited after his walk on Friday.

The pair’s granddaughter had been walking the flat-coated retriever along Botany Bay, Broadstairs, between 10am and 11am close to the power station.

Mr Watterson, of Percy Avenue, Broadstairs, took Vulcan straight to the vet at around 8pm as soon as he realised what had made the dog so poorly.

He said: “I took him to the vet who asked me what I thought it might be and then they said it seemed likely.

“He was put onto a drip and kept in overnight and did blood tests.”

His owners went to collect him the following afternoon.

Mr Watterson added: “The size of the thing he ingested was relative to half a brick. I think the problem comes when it starts to get a bit windy and what is normally in the sea comes on to the land.

“He must have been intrigued about what it was and decided to try some, which made him ill.”

The chemical comes in the form of a white waxy substance which is found in lumps on the beach and is highly toxic to animals.

In the worst cases palm oil can cause severe illness or death in animals and can also be dangerous to humans if they come into close contact with it.

It is grown across the world and used mainly in food, soaps and shampoos as well as biofuels.

Thanet coast protection officer for Thanet District Council Tony Child said: “If there is anything that looks hazardous on our beaches, we will react promptly to clean up any incidents in conjunction with other authorities.