You may enjoy a quick kiss — or slobber — from your lovable, furry friend, thinking it’s somehow safer coming from your pet. But you’re wrong, according to a veterinarian.
That’s because a dog‘s mouth is just as gross as yours, despite myths to the contrary. Here are several other points Dr. John H. de Jong, president-elect of the American Veterinary Medical Association, recently told U.S. News.
If my dog is sick and it licks me, can I get sick? It depends on what your dog is sick with, according to de Jong. One virus that could translate across species is rabies — a potentially dangerous disease transmitted via an infected animal’s saliva. For example, if a dog had rabies and licked an open wound on your face (i.e. if you cut yourself shaving), the disease could enter your bloodstream and infect you.
What happens if a dog eats its poop then licks my face? That’s a tricky one. Some dogs do indeed eat their poop. If your dog does this then licks your face afterward, you won’t necessarily get any kind of illness (though it might be dirty, notes de Jong). But if your dog has somehow ingested parasites and your dog’s saliva works its way into your mouth, that may get into your system and cause problems.
“Intestinal parasite eggs are passed in feces and therefore if a dog had recently eaten feces that contained parasite eggs and in turn the human got that into their mouth, the person might end up having that parasite,” de Jong says. “As with viruses, some of these only affect certain species but there are some that cross species lines and can cause issues.”
Am I more likely to get an infection from another human? Most viruses any species has — whether that’s dogs, cats or people — are species-specific. With that in mind, if you were kissing a person rather than getting licked by a dog, you’d be more likely to get sick from that person because of what’s likely to be transmitted, de Jong says.
How do I protect myself from all these germs? In general, proper hygiene for you and your dog is your best bet. It’s probably not too problematic for your dog to kiss your face, but you may want to wash your face after. You should also make sure your dog has good hygiene too, like making sure it receives adequate dental care — “consulting with a veterinarian to be sure that the teeth and gums are healthy and have dental cleanings performed on the dog as needed,” de Jong says.
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Your Dog’s Mouth Is Just as Gross as Yours, Veterinarian Says originally appeared on usnews.com
