#Healthwire: This Is Why You Should Never Let Your Dog Lick You!

Lots of people would agree that is really cute when the big, wet and slobbery tongue of their dog is trying to lick their face. But often not healthy or savoury. We have more bad news: there is something much more sinister about getting a kiss from your dearest pet.Even though your dog is genuinely trying to display the utmost affection to you, on its tongue there is a vast array of bacteria that may be harmful to your health. And if you are asking if the dog mouths are cleaner than the human mouths, we will answer that question. No! It’s a total myth. Marty Becker is author of ‘Chicken Soup for the Dog Owner’s Soul, and there he explains that quite well. Namely, he says: “All you have to do is look, watch, smell and you’ll realize that is not true. They raid the garbage can. You know, we give each other a peck on the cheek when we say hello, they give each other a peck on the rear end.”

In addition to this, professor of virology and bacteriology at the Queen Mary University in London, John Oxford, expanded this explanation about how much bacteria the dog’s muzzle and mouth is able to carry. He says: “It is not just what is carried in saliva. Dogs spend half their life with their noses in nasty corners or hovering over dog droppings so their muzzles are full of bacteria, viruses and germs of all sorts.” It is important that people realize these viruses and germs can cause a lot of medical conditions that are hazardous to human health.

One woman from U.K. unfortunately learned that the hard way.To be more precise, the woman in question contracted an infection from her Italian greyhound’s mouth. She actually didn’t realize that something is wrong until she was speaking on the phone with a relative and began to notice her speech slurring.Until the ambulance arrived, she already was slumped in her chair, as her health was degrading rapidly. After two weeks of intensive care and plenty of antibiotics she recovered and now she is feeling good.

The blood tests showed that this infection is caused by capnocytophaga canimorsus bacteria, which most commonly is found in the mouths of dogs and cats.Unfortunately, she is not the only case – there have been 13 similar cases throughout the UK. That is not the only disease that your dog can pass onto you through his affection. Here is a list of potentially dangerous health scares your pooch may give you: