Post by Die Fledermaus on Jan 13, 2009 23:54:13 GMT -4
The age old question. Which is cleaner? A dog's mouth or a human's?
Would you let your dog lick or face or the ice cream cone you are eating?
What about kissing a cat on the lips, or anywhere; after all, cats lick themselves all over? What about kissing your pet rodent? How does all that compare with sharing an ice cream cone with a fellow human - or French kissing a human for an extended period of time?
The old story is that "a dog's mouth is cleaner than a human's". This legend is well known. It is a simplification.
The myth may have stemmed from the way pups lick their wounds. A dog's tongue gets rid of dead tissue so wounds heal faster. Perhaps folks concluded that dog saliva is "healthy." I think it is the mechanical action of the dog's licking that helps rather than any antibacterial properties possessed by dog spit.
Bites from either humans or dogs have similar likelihood of infection, despite stories about a human bite being far worse than that from a dog (or other non-rabid critter).
Obviously, the mouth of your pets at home, be they dogs or other critters, are likely cleaner than feral ones those eating whatever they can outside.
But which mouth is cleaner? Your pet who eats good food and chews hard dog biscuits to help keep the teeth clean, or some fellow wandering the streets who has not brushed his teeth in a few days?
Although the mouth of a typical dog is also full of bacteria, it's "species specific." So, if a dog were to lick a person, most of the germs wouldn't transfer. "Bottom line -- you're more likely to get a serious illness from kissing a person than kissing a dog."
But French-kissing a gf/bf is a little more enjoyable, although I did enjoy having a big Newfie once jump on me and lick my face all over! I was honored, and did not get sick in either case. And if the gf, or the Newfie, wanted a lick of my ice cream cone I would not care. Nor would anything happen to me, assuming she did not have a human-specific disease. No dog gave anyone hepatitis, et al. And that Newfie had great breath!
A big kiss from your dog that is healthy/immunized, hasn't just picked up a dead infected animal, or engaged in eating something horrific, is much less likely to give a you some illness than kissing your preschooler, who's just come home from being exposed to 20 other little germ-breeding kids!
A dog's saliva is less acid than a human's saliva (pH around 9), human saliva has a pH of about 6 to 7. Now, there is some evidence to suggest that dog saliva can inhibit the growth of certain bacteria, particularly those found in nasal mucous. However, dog saliva isn't likely to be an effective antiseptic as it contains many other germs which are not affected by the pH difference! What people might be noticing as curative (when a dog licks their wounds) is surface removal of bacteria and a change in pH that inhibits the growth of these certain bacteria (types of E. Coli and Strep). It certainly isn't a *miracle cure* by any means.
Cat saliva is a bit more of a risk (as far as humans are concerned). This is due to Pasteurella multocida, a gram-negative coccobacillus common to cat's mouths. Or so I read.
The reports of contagious diseases such as hantavirus from pet rodents are so rare as to be discounted.
Don't worry about dog bites/licks
So don't worry about a lick from a healthy indoor pet especially a dog. Of course we remember Lucy in "Charlie Brown".
In the classic "Peanuts" Christmas episode after Snoopy licks her she goes off running and screaming "AAAH!!! I've BEEN KISSED BY A DOG!!! Yuch! UGGGHHH! I HAVE DOG GERMS! GET HOT WATER! GET SOME DISINFECTANT". ;D
So be nice and give your dog a lick!
And don't worry about the alleged "germs":
- - - - - - -
Final note; final quote:
>> Rosie O'Donnell thinks it has healing properties. She lets a dog lick her baby's behind when it has "diaper rash" and it goes away. <<
I am not making that up! www.answerbag.com/q_view/382814
Would you let your dog lick or face or the ice cream cone you are eating?
What about kissing a cat on the lips, or anywhere; after all, cats lick themselves all over? What about kissing your pet rodent? How does all that compare with sharing an ice cream cone with a fellow human - or French kissing a human for an extended period of time?
The old story is that "a dog's mouth is cleaner than a human's". This legend is well known. It is a simplification.
The myth may have stemmed from the way pups lick their wounds. A dog's tongue gets rid of dead tissue so wounds heal faster. Perhaps folks concluded that dog saliva is "healthy." I think it is the mechanical action of the dog's licking that helps rather than any antibacterial properties possessed by dog spit.
Bites from either humans or dogs have similar likelihood of infection, despite stories about a human bite being far worse than that from a dog (or other non-rabid critter).
Obviously, the mouth of your pets at home, be they dogs or other critters, are likely cleaner than feral ones those eating whatever they can outside.
But which mouth is cleaner? Your pet who eats good food and chews hard dog biscuits to help keep the teeth clean, or some fellow wandering the streets who has not brushed his teeth in a few days?
Although the mouth of a typical dog is also full of bacteria, it's "species specific." So, if a dog were to lick a person, most of the germs wouldn't transfer. "Bottom line -- you're more likely to get a serious illness from kissing a person than kissing a dog."
But French-kissing a gf/bf is a little more enjoyable, although I did enjoy having a big Newfie once jump on me and lick my face all over! I was honored, and did not get sick in either case. And if the gf, or the Newfie, wanted a lick of my ice cream cone I would not care. Nor would anything happen to me, assuming she did not have a human-specific disease. No dog gave anyone hepatitis, et al. And that Newfie had great breath!
A big kiss from your dog that is healthy/immunized, hasn't just picked up a dead infected animal, or engaged in eating something horrific, is much less likely to give a you some illness than kissing your preschooler, who's just come home from being exposed to 20 other little germ-breeding kids!
A dog's saliva is less acid than a human's saliva (pH around 9), human saliva has a pH of about 6 to 7. Now, there is some evidence to suggest that dog saliva can inhibit the growth of certain bacteria, particularly those found in nasal mucous. However, dog saliva isn't likely to be an effective antiseptic as it contains many other germs which are not affected by the pH difference! What people might be noticing as curative (when a dog licks their wounds) is surface removal of bacteria and a change in pH that inhibits the growth of these certain bacteria (types of E. Coli and Strep). It certainly isn't a *miracle cure* by any means.
Cat saliva is a bit more of a risk (as far as humans are concerned). This is due to Pasteurella multocida, a gram-negative coccobacillus common to cat's mouths. Or so I read.
The reports of contagious diseases such as hantavirus from pet rodents are so rare as to be discounted.
Don't worry about dog bites/licks
So don't worry about a lick from a healthy indoor pet especially a dog. Of course we remember Lucy in "Charlie Brown".
In the classic "Peanuts" Christmas episode after Snoopy licks her she goes off running and screaming "AAAH!!! I've BEEN KISSED BY A DOG!!! Yuch! UGGGHHH! I HAVE DOG GERMS! GET HOT WATER! GET SOME DISINFECTANT". ;DSo be nice and give your dog a lick!
And don't worry about the alleged "germs":
- - - - - - -
Final note; final quote:
>> Rosie O'Donnell thinks it has healing properties. She lets a dog lick her baby's behind when it has "diaper rash" and it goes away. <<
I am not making that up! www.answerbag.com/q_view/382814
