Don’t Let the Dog Lick your Face

As much as we love kisses from our furry friends we should be aware as to what can happen when locking lips with an adorable pup. I’d hate to break this myth to you but a dogs mouth is not cleaner than a human. Dogs can carry many zoonotic pathogens or organisms spread from animals to humans that cause diseases. Capnocytophaga canimorsus is a bacteria that lives in a dog’s saliva. That single bacteria has the power to cause fatal infections including sepsis, which can ultimately lead to organ failure and even death.

Keep in mind a dog greets you on the face while he greets other by the rear end. You can get bacteria and parasites such as Salmonella, Pasteurella, Campylobacter, Cryptosporidium, Leptospira, Giardia, ringworm, and hookworm from dog kisses or from contact with infected feces. If this news is hard for you to bare and your dog is just too cute to pass up on some puppy love. You can still enjoy your dog’s affection by making sure to wash your hands, face and avoid slobber all over your mouth.