Dogs are awesome, and for many of us, truly a best friend. Dogs will often lick though and while it's a sign of affection for them, should we accept those slobbery dog kisses or should we be warding them off with gallons of hand sanitizer? A dog's mouth isn't actually cleaner than the human mouth, the two are pretty equal in amounts of bacteria present, but some of the germs in a dog's mouth can be dangerous. The bacteria p. gulae, which is very rare in humans, is present in large amounts in the mouths of dogs. One study in 2015 discovered the presence of p. gulae in 16% of dog owners. Pasturella is another bacteria that dogs have in their mouths and it's dangerous if it comes into contact with an open wound on a human. It works both ways as well. Certain bacteria that can be found on our own skin, face or mouth can be harmful to a dog. While it's likely not a complete bio-hazard, it's probably wise to keep the dog slobber to a minimum and definitely wipe off afterwards
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MAY 11, 2016
Don't Kiss That Dog!
Dogs are awesome, and for many of us, truly a best friend. Dogs will often lick though and while it's a sign of affection for them, should we accept those slobbery dog kisses or should we be warding them off with gallons of hand sanitizer? A dog's mouth isn't actually cleaner than the human mouth, the two are pretty equal in amounts of bacteria present, but some of the germs in a dog's mouth can be dangerous. The bacteria p. gulae, which is very rare in humans, is present in large amounts in the mouths of dogs. One study in 2015 discovered the presence of p. gulae in 16% of dog owners. Pasturella is another bacteria that dogs have in their mouths and it's dangerous if it comes into contact with an open wound on a human. It works both ways as well. Certain bacteria that can be found on our own skin, face or mouth can be harmful to a dog. While it's likely not a complete bio-hazard, it's probably wise to keep the dog slobber to a minimum and definitely wipe off afterwards