There is nothing as cute as your dog coming up to you and giving you a slobbering wet kiss. However, after reading this, you might change your mind, as there is a very good reason why you should not allow your dog to lick you.
A Dogs Tongue Is Full of Bacteria
There is a saying that a dog’s mouth is cleaner than that of a human being. This is nothing more than a myth. Dogs are known to examine the rear of other dogs and do other horrendous things that can leave their mouth and tongue covered in germs. Professor of bacteriology and virology, John Oxford from the Queen Mary University in London, talked about the extent of bacteria that can be found on the mouth of a dog.
Oxford said that it is not just, what dogs carry in their saliva, that people have to worry about. It is the fact that dogs spend a lot of time with their noses hovering over things that are full of germs, bacteria, and viruses, such as dog droppings. These are germs and viruses that may cause conditions that can be very damaging to the health of human beings.
One woman who allowed her dog to kiss and lick her learned out the hard way why you should never get up close and personal with your dog. The woman owns an affectionate Italian greyhound, and she did not notice that anything was wrong until one day she was talking on the phone to a friend and they noticed that her speech was slurred.
An ambulance was called but by the time it had arrived, the woman was slumped down in her chair, and her health was deteriorating at a fast rate. Luckily, the woman recovered after spending two weeks in intensive care and receiving many antibiotics. Blood tests revealed that the woman had contacted an infection brought on by capnocytophaga canimorsus bacteria. This bacterium is usually found in dogs and cats mouths.
Ringworm Is A Common Disease Spread by Dogs Licking Humans
This is not a one-off case as there have been 13 other cases in the United Kingdom. Dogs can pass on many other diseases and germs by kissing and licking the mouths and faces of their human companions. One disease is ringworm infection. This is one of the easiest infections passed to humans from dogs. If the ringworm fungus is in the mouth of the dog and they lick a human, that human can get ringworm too.
MRSA Infection Produces Ugly Lesions from a Single Lick
One single lick from a dog to the skin of a human can cause MRSA, and this produces ugly lesions. Dogs carry the bacteria, but it does not affect their health as much as it does that of the owner.
Staphylococcus Aureus Is another Unsightly Bacterium
Staphylococcus Aureus is another unsightly bacterium that is very similar to MRSA, and this is another bacterium found in the mouth of dogs. The bacterium is often resistant to treatment.
Capnocytophaga Canimorsus Is Caused by Dogs Licking Open Wounds
Anyone with an open wound should be extra careful about allowing dogs to lick him or her and especially the region the wound is in. One man found this out the hard way after his doctor told him that the infection he got was Capnocytophaga Canimorsus and it had been caused due to him allowing his dog to lick an open wound. While the man’s hands look to be badly damaged, his feet were worse, and he had to have one partially amputated.
After reading this and seeing the damage a dog can unintentionally do when allowed to lick and kiss its owner, you might want to keep your pet well away from your face and body.
Source: disclose.tv
