We’re all guilty of sharing puppy kisses with our pooch and letting them slobber all over us, but is it actually bad for us?
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People say that a dog’s mouth is actually cleaner than a human’s, but according to DNews, only 16% of doggy dental bacteria can be found in human mouths.
Of the other 84% of puppy germs, there are some real nasties in there including bacteria that can cause gingivitis, peridontal disease and even Porphyromonas gulae which can cause inflamed gums and tooth loss.
In fact, nearly 20% of the dog owners studied tested positive for Porphyromonas gulae which they probably picked up from their puppy pal. Nice.
But what about the myth that it’s good to let dogs lick wounds as they have “antibacterial” tongues? Er, no.
When pups lick human wounds they can potentially spread a bacteria called Pasteurella, which can cause serious infections and require antibiotics to clear up.
