Chihuahuas are brave little dogs that picture themselves as super heroes – they are highly protective, and they often view themselves as masters (or mistresses) of the house! There are those who choose the Chihuahua as a pet for their size, their disposition as tiny but brave pups, but there are also those who choose a Chihuahua because of an urban legend – one that states that Chihuahuas can cure a child of asthma.
If you have experienced asthma or have a child with the chronic ailment, you know that those who live with the condition will do most anything to lessen the symptoms. That means these same individuals will also consider purchasing a pet strictly due to the belief that the dog can supposedly cure asthma.
Do Chihuahuas help with asthma? Unfortunately, no.
However, the urban legend that keeping a Chihuahua around a person diagnosed with asthma still persists! There are many reasons for this, and it is likely due to anecdotal evidence much more than any scientific evidence. If having a Chihuahua around helped a good friend or a relative with asthma, then the urban legend must be true, right.
Again, there is no scientific evidence that Chihuahuas have any effect on the recovery of a person who has been diagnosed with asthma.
We can find the origin of the Chihuahua being connected to “curing” asthma in the early days of the breed. The Aztecs called the Chihuahua the “ruler of the nose,” and they believed that the small, brave dog was able to cure a number of ailments, including asthma. However, the likely reason that the Aztecs referred to the Chihuahua as the ruler of the nose is due to the dog’s hypoallergenic characteristics (more on that later).
The Aztecs highly revered the Chihuahua. Originally, the Aztecs actually utilized the Chihuahua as a food item, but, over time, the Aztecs began to hold the animal in high regard in a number of ways. The Aztecs began to describe the Chihuahua as a spiritual guide. They believed that the Chihuahua would lead humans to the spirit world, and part of this belief held that the Chihuahua would “absorb the sins” of the human in question. This belief that a Chihuahua could take on undesirable characteristics of a person sounds familiar, doesn’t it?
So is it possible that the urban legend stating that Chihuahuas could cure the human asthma sufferer of the ailment comes from this ancient Aztec belief? It is highly likely. Both of the legends paint the Chihuahua as being able to absorb some abstract thing that a human would want to be rid of – in one story, a person’s sins and earthly mistakes, in other instances, a chronic condition that causes great anxiety and possible death in humans.
Although urban legends do tend to get passed down from generation to generation, there is also another possible reason why we humans began to believe that Chihuahuas “take” a person’s asthma.
Chihuahuas – like some other small dog breeds – have a tendency to wheeze. Sometimes these wheezing sounds are eerily like the sounds a person with asthma may make when he or she is struggling to breathe. For those who have struggled with asthma, or for those whose children struggle with asthma, hearing these sounds could be taken as the dog is acquiring the human’s chronic condition.
Do Chihuahuas help with asthma? No, but they are considered hypoallergenic!
What does hypoallergenic mean? Well, a hypoallergenic dog possesses some characteristics which means that a child (or adult) with asthma (which is usually compounded by the presence of some pet or other household allergies) will not experience the sneezing, watery eyes, and wheezing that are often the symptoms of a pet allergy.
Hypoallergenic has come (in the pet owner) world to mean something that it actually doesn’t. When a dog is described as being “hypoallergenic,” potential owners think, “Great! I can own a dog and I won’t be sneezing, have watery eyes, and other allergic reactions!” The problem with this belief is that it is only partially true.
Allergic reactions to animals takes place because of the dander the animal produces; dander is the dead skin cells present in a dog’s (or cat’s) fur. Typically, short haired dogs do not retain a lot of dander in their fur because of the length and texture of their hair. Therefore, Chihuahuas – and any other short haired dog – CAN actually produce an allergic reaction in individuals. The key – and many vets and breeders will remind potential buyers – is to brush the Chihuahua regularly so that dander is purposely kept to a minimum.
It should be stated that the Chihuahua is the most hypoallergenic dog, meaning that it is the breed least likely to trigger allergic symptoms in humans. However, those who are prone to pet allergies must keep in mind that no dog breed is completely hypoallergenic.
How could an urban legend such as “Chihuahuas cure asthma” last into the present day, particularly since it is likely this legend became prevalent during the time of the Aztecs? There are many reasons.
The older we become, the more we understand how traditions are passed down from generation to generation. Surely there are traditions in your own family that – no matter what you know about science and facts – the family carries out for one reason or another. For instance, one family I know personally will not allow a member to tell about a bad dream without first having something to eat; the grandmother once told the grandchildren a dream would come true if you told the dream before eating (which we all know is false). Yet, even the great-grandchildren in this family still carry on the tradition!
It is likely that as the Aztecs died out and their descendants intermarried with Spanish invaders, many of the Aztec traditions still kept root in future generations and their beliefs. The idea lasted over hundreds of years, and, in 1956, a folklore journal published the urban legend, which only helped to further the belief. Not even a decade later, in 1965, a medical journal gave some credence to the myth by publishing the belief in its pages.
In addition, the myth is so prevalent that there are physicians over the years who have actually recommended purchasing a Chihuahua to aid in the minimization of asthma symptoms. This, in addition to word of mouth (and those pesky “I knew someone who tried it and it worked,” is likely what prompts the legend to stand even today.
What is the likely reason this urban legend has never truly been dispelled? Likely, it is the very nature of asthma as a childhood condition.
Have you ever heard that children “grow out” of asthma? Well, this statement is partly true and partly false. As children reach adolescence, they tend to see a lessening of asthma symptoms. In some suffering from asthma, they may see this lessening occur even younger, during their childhood years.
In conclusion, it should be noted that while there is no medical evidence that the Chihuahua can “cure” asthma, there is the possibility that the Chihuahua could have a psychological effect on the owner. Anecdotal evidence exists that owning a Chihuahua often makes the asthmatic person “just feel better.”
Perhaps it is the joy that owning a dog can bring, or maybe it is a “mind over matter” issue. Either way, no, Chihuahuas do not “cure” asthma, but they are great pets for those who have allergic reactions to animals but want a pet so desperately.
Furthermore, scientists have no reason why this loss occurs.
As children with asthma grow older, about half of them will see a marked lessening (sometimes even a complete loss) of their asthma symptoms. Again, doctors have no explanation for why this phenomenon occurs.