This Is Why You Should Never Let Your Dog Lick You!

You might think it’s cute – that big, wet and slobbery tongue reaching out from your canine’s jaw and affectionately lapping at you face.

But what if I told you there was something quite sinister about it?

No, I’m not saying your beloved Fido is trying to harm you or anything like that. Your little (or big) furry friend genuinely is trying to display affection.

Too bad the same can’t be said for all the bacteria on their tongue.

Are dog mouths really cleaner than human mouths?

No. That’s a total myth.

Marty Becker is author of ‘Chicken Soup for the Dog Owner’s Soul, and there he explains that quite well. Namely, he says: “All you have to do is look, watch, smell and you’ll realize that is not true. They raid the garbage can. You know, we give each other a peck on the cheek when we say hello, they give each other a peck on the rear end.”

John Oxford, professor of virology and bacteriology at the Queen Mary University in London, expanded this explanation about how much bacteria your dog’s muzzle and mouth can carry.

He said: “It is not just what is carried in saliva. Dogs spend half their life with their noses in nasty corners or hovering over dog droppings so their muzzles are full of bacteria, viruses and germs of all sorts.”

Those viruses and germs can cause conditions that are pretty damaging to human health, as one U.K. womanlearned the hard way.

She contracted an infection from her Italian greyhound’s saliva. She actually didn’t even realize that something is wrong until she was speaking on the phone with a relative and began to notice her speech slurring and prompted her to call an ambulance.

By the time the ambulance arrived, she was found slumped in her chair, losing consciousness. She recovered after 2 weeks of intensive care and plenty of antibiotics.

Blood tests revealed an infection of Capnocytophaga canimorsus bacteria, a rare but serious cause of sepsis which often found in the mouths of dogs and cats.

She’s not alone – there have been 13 similar cases throughout the UK.

MRSA infection in humans, which produce lesions like the unsightly one above, can be caused by as little as one lick from your dog.

Dogs can carry around this  bacteria with very little effect on their own health but when an owner comes into contact with it… Yeah, it’s a bad time.

Staphylococcus aureus is similar to MRSA. Similar bacteria (which can be found in Fido’s mouth) cause it but that bacteria is not as resistant to treatment.

I’d still want to avoid it altogether to be honest, I don’t know about you.

Are you going to catch a disease from your dog that leaves you with one foot and disfigured hands? Probably not.

But are you going to take the chance?

Seriously, avoid those kisses.

Source: stateofgoodhealth