Letting your dog lick your face could be fatal
Allowing your dog to lick your face might be detrimental to your health.
Many can confirm without a doubt that one of the best things they enjoy about being a pet parent is the cuddling and the smooches.
But if you are on the fence about receiving excited licks from your pooch, then you will be happy to know that there is some truth behind your resistance.
"While some owners will push their pooches away playfully to discourage face licking, others positively revel in their dog’s affection and may even offer up pursed lips for a canine kiss." (The Conversation)
Read more: Cooking with your dogs will always end badly
But the pressing question is, what has your dog been licking the entire day before welcoming you home with a slobbery kiss?
Many dog lovers don't consider this an unclean practice.
"And licking is important for dogs. It’s an instinctive canine behaviour. When dogs repeatedly lick their mouths, it can be a subtle sign of stress or fear, especially when combined with ears back and a tense expression." (The Conversation)
Read more: Pets at home: Guidance from a vet
As much as a good dose of canine saliva is warranted now and then, it causes more harm than good for humans.
For instance, pet owners who have low immunity or open wounds could face danger if their dogs lick them on the face. People have gone years without getting ill or facing fatality due to face licks, but there are some rare cases that pose danger to humans.
"Dogs’ mouths can harbour a range of microorganisms that are usually low risk for humans. However, in rare cases, zoonoses (infectious diseases passed on between species) can be transmitted from dogs to humans by bites, licks and scratches." (The Conversation)
Watch the scenario below where a man was hospitalised because his dog licked an open wound on his body.
Courtesy of YouTube.
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Image Courtesy of iStock/Mykola Sosiukin