Licking dogs can kill ya!
- Thread starter misi
- Start date
Letting cats or dogs lick a wound is not a very good idea ! Sorry Okee.
" Cats' and dogs' mouths contain a bacteria called Pasteurella that could cause a skin infection called cellulitis in humans if transmitted onto a wound. Dr. Scott Weese of the Veterinary College’s Centre for Public Health and Zoonoses explains on the Worms and Germs blog: “The oral cavity of the dog contains billions of bacteria from hundreds of different bacterial species. Many of these are able to cause infection given the right circumstances.” Such circumstances tragically arose for a 32-year-old woman in Decatur, Ga., and a 48-year-old woman from Texas within the past year. Both women were infected with capnocytophaga canimorsus, a bacteria found in the mouths of cats and dogs, after one was bitten by a dog and the other was believed to have contracted it in some way from her 1-year-old pup. Both had their legs amputated after the infection spread, and at least one lost her battle against it. While this bacteria is usually harmless to healthy humans, it can be dangerous and even deadly in those with certain pre-existing conditions. If dogs' saliva was a safe and effective way to treat a cut, it probably would have been bottled up by some big pharmaceutical company by now. Stick with good old-fashioned soap and water to disinfect your wounds, and keep them clear of Fido’s mouth. Healing properties or not, it’s not worth the risk of contamination by all the other stuff that’s hanging out on his tongue. "
" Cats' and dogs' mouths contain a bacteria called Pasteurella that could cause a skin infection called cellulitis in humans if transmitted onto a wound. Dr. Scott Weese of the Veterinary College’s Centre for Public Health and Zoonoses explains on the Worms and Germs blog: “The oral cavity of the dog contains billions of bacteria from hundreds of different bacterial species. Many of these are able to cause infection given the right circumstances.” Such circumstances tragically arose for a 32-year-old woman in Decatur, Ga., and a 48-year-old woman from Texas within the past year. Both women were infected with capnocytophaga canimorsus, a bacteria found in the mouths of cats and dogs, after one was bitten by a dog and the other was believed to have contracted it in some way from her 1-year-old pup. Both had their legs amputated after the infection spread, and at least one lost her battle against it. While this bacteria is usually harmless to healthy humans, it can be dangerous and even deadly in those with certain pre-existing conditions. If dogs' saliva was a safe and effective way to treat a cut, it probably would have been bottled up by some big pharmaceutical company by now. Stick with good old-fashioned soap and water to disinfect your wounds, and keep them clear of Fido’s mouth. Healing properties or not, it’s not worth the risk of contamination by all the other stuff that’s hanging out on his tongue. "
misi
Growing Little Guru
I heard that in the war they were short of antibiotics so they let the dogs lick the wounds.
Was it true? Dunno.
Maybe your belief comes from stories like that around.
Ahhh. I thought this was about people licking dogs, you know, hair of the dog or summink...