03
Dec
Is It Ok For A Dog To Lick A Human Wound. Bartholomews Hospital and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry claims that licking wounds is as beneficial to humans as it is to animals. The more a dog licks the more dirt and loose skin will adhere to the saliva on its tongue and be removed from the open sore. Because this is such common behavior many people believe that when a dog licks a wound it will promote healing. MRSA infection in humans which produce lesions like the unsightly one above can be caused by as little as one lick from your dog.
It isnt a good idea to let your dog lick your wounds and it really isnt a good idea to let him lick his own. Many dogs will require a protective collar see handout Elizabethan Collars in Dogs for more information to prevent them from injuring the site. I know in the wild that dogs and other animals lick their wounds but what else can they do. Reallydont let your dog lick your woundthey have so much bacteria and germs in their mouthsI know he means wellbut thats why if your dog has an op or wound the vet gives you one of those lampshade things to put on him so he cant lick his wound. Although your dog means well when it tries to lick your wounds canine saliva can cause infections in humans. Because this is such common behavior many people believe that when a dog licks a wound it will promote healing.
Worms and Germs describe a dogs oral cavity as containing billions of bacteria from hundreds of different bacterial species.
Allowing pet cats to lick open wounds can cause cellulitis and sepsis due to bacterial infections. When your dog licks a wound there are healing capacities in their saliva and it can also help cleanse the area. If your pet licks at the incision more than even once or twiceespecially if you have to tell your pet to stopyou need. Contrary to the old wives tale our pets mouths have a lot of germs in them and saliva does not heal woundsinstead it becomes a source of infection. They are natural healers when it comes to grooming and cleaning. Theres even some anecdotal evidence that a dog licking the wound makes it feel better.