5 Facts You Need to Know About Your Dog's Saliva

Image source:

Should you let your dog lick you? Well hardcore dog-lovers will fight tooth and nail to prove that you should let your dog lick you because that is how they show you affection. This view is not entirely wrong because after all, which dog-lover would have the heart to push away his canine when it comes to showing love in the only way it can? But emotions are just one aspect of this show of affection. The other aspect which should a dog-lover needs to consider is the health issues associated with a dog's saliva.It is difficult to say whether a dog's saliva is good or bad- and if good, then exactly how much of it is good? In this post, we shall present five facts to you for you to consider. The aim is not to make you stop your dog from showing you some love- rather, it is only to make you more aware.

1. Dogs maintain poor oral hygiene.Have you ever wondered why your dog has bad breath.? Yes, there are some very serious reasons for that. A dog's mouth has bacteria that can prove to be harmful to you, though not very fatal. Besides, you would have definitely seen your pooch licking its own private parts, which is followed by licking you! You can very well guess what that means.The bottom-line: Your dog's saliva contains harmful bacteria. You would do better to avoid it.
2. Dog saliva has the ability to heal..The enzymes in your dog's saliva may have healing properties. Its rough tongue can also help in cleansing your surface wounds. However, refer to the first point: with the healing properties come a greater chance of infection as well.
3. But it doesn't necessarily heal your wounds.It is a common myth that because dogs heal their surface wounds by their saliva, the same will happen with you too. Well, here's the truth: it may not. The enzymes in a dog's saliva will work WELL only on a dog, not so much on you. On the flip-side, there can be a chance of infection as discussed earlier.
4. Dogs will not pass on their illness to youDiseases suffered by your dog are specific to only him. This means that getting licked by your pet won't necessary transfer his illnesses to you.
5. You can get infected by round- worms:Dog's saliva also contain round-worms. The more you are letting yourself get licked, the more you are exposing yourself to roundworms, especially if they lick your wounds.These are five facts for you to consider. This does not mean that you will definitely fall sick if your dogs licks you. This depends on your immune system and how much you are used to it. If you have been allowing your pets to lick you for years now, and you haven’t fallen sick because of it, chances are your body has developed anti-bodies to protect you. To be safer, however, regularly take your pets for check-ups, de-worming and parasite-treatment and you're good to go.