IT'S something every grandparent looks forward to - a visit from their precious grandchild. It's something every grandparent dreads - their precious grandchild being rushed to hospital gasping for air, every breath perilously close to being his last.

And that's what happened to Cecilia Skudder, a retired Macmillan cancer nurse, her years of training no help as her grandson Jacob collapsed at her home. The fact it was her home which triggered his asthmatic attack, a bout so severe it took hospital staff five days to bring it under control, made an already grim episode even grimmer.

Jacob had suffered from asthma for the best part of his 11 years. He had his own pet, like countless other children, and, despite his affliction, suffered little ill-effect at home. It was only when he went to his gran's that he would be struck down with the breathing difficulties which characterise the severe allergy.

"Imagine how it feels to know that your pets and your home cause such serious consequences in a family member's health," she recalls. "We were devastated."

Tested for allergens, the results came back positive for dogs and the only answers seemed to lie with taking high dosages of drugs or being deprived of pets. But Jacob and his gran have found another answer, thanks to a natural remedy developed by a British pharmaceutical company.

Bio-Life produces Petal Cleanse, a treatment which has received a consumer award from the British Allergy Foundation. The treatment is administered to the pet to neutralise the allergens which cause the reaction in the human. The lotion is composed of a balance of cleansers and moisturisers. The cleansers remove the allergens, the moisturisers condition the coat and skin to further reduce the amount of material shed. The solution, which contains detergents, salts, vitamins, aloe vera, rosemary and lime flower extracts, is put on weekly with a wet sponge or flannel, and results are expected within three weeks.

"I was sceptical at first," recalls Mrs Skudder. "I applied it to the dogs every week for four weeks. During this time Jacob stayed away and had no asthmatic attacks. With some trepidation, visits resumed. If he gave a cough, we all waited with bated breath, but he has not had problems at all. And his chest consultant said his lungs were clear."

There are 7.8 million cats and 6.6 million dogs in the country. Pet allergies are estimated to affect one in three people globally and 50 per cent of the European population. One in five children gets asthma, one in six people suffers from skin allergies. The number is expected to double in the next ten years, with children being the most at risk.

Research by the Campaign for Asthma claims that 46 per cent of asthmatics blame pets for triggering attacks. Other research estimates that asthma costs the National Health Service £380m a year.

Modern living doesn't help. Houses are too warm with poor ventilation. It's the perfect place for mould and dust mites.

Cats are the worst producers of allergens, followed by dogs, and the problem increases as the animal ages. In the past, sufferers have resorted to antihistamines to combat the problem, which manifests itself with a variety of symptoms, including asthma, eczema, runny nose, streaming eyes and hives.

Bio-Life scientist Mary Lloyd recently told the annual gathering of pharmacists and healthcare professionals - Chemex - that sufferers were also putting their health at risk by regularly taking the drugs needed to combat allergies. Side-effects could include osteoporosis, cataracts and glaucoma.

More disturbingly, research is now also linking allergies with immune deficiency syndromes, immuno-suppressants and cancer. Mrs Lloyd says: "For the sake of their long-term health, prevention is better than cure. There is also a massive cost in proving these expensive drugs."

Mrs Lloyd also believes there is a link between clean living and bad health for children. With so many vaccinations and antibiotics available, children are no longer building up a natural immunisation to infections. Scrupulous standards of modern hygiene are also leaving them prone to allergens in the atmosphere.

The company operates an allergy helpline on (01492) 596660, which receives more than 5,000 calls a year. The phones are manned seven days a week, 8am to 8pm.