Having a dog as a pet can be rewarding on many levels, from companionship to security. But can Fido help a pregnant woman protect her unborn child from a chronic disease? New research says yes, at least in the case of eczema.

Scientists at the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit found that toddlers were less likely to develop eczema, a condition that makes skin red and itchy, if their mothers had a pet dog before they were born.

That was not particularly surprising to the researchers as previous studies had shown similar connections with young children. But the new research showed the reduced risk of contracting the disease waned as the child got older and was largely gone by age 10.

The researchers found this to be especially significant because children with eczema, which is chronic and can flare periodically, can also develop asthma, hay fever and food allergies.

The team examined nearly 800 mother-and-child pairs in a long-term study. Moms who participated said they had one or more dogs indoors for at least one hour daily during pregnancy for at least two weeks. In a presentation to the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, researchers said they found children with prenatal dog exposure were significantly less likely to develop eczema.

An explanation for why this occurs remains elusive, but the researchers hypothesize dogs have the potential to alter the developing infant’s gut bacteria. They are focusing further study in this direction.

As one expert put it, families shouldn’t get dogs if they don’t like them, but they also should not necessarily avoid getting a dog if they have a family history of allergies. Dogs can be mom’s, not just man’s, best friend.