In the immortal words of Lucy Van Pelt, “Auugh! I’ve been kissed by a dog! I have dog germs!” (I like to quote the greats whenever possible).

While Lucy being smooched by Snoopy (getting her all dog-germy and stuff) still makes us laugh, her reaction, although comical, brings up one of Darwin’s most frequently asked questions, “Can my family get sick if our dog kisses us after eating raw meat?”.

Like many, I grew up hearing that a dog’s mouth is much cleaner than a human mouth. Hmmm.  I decided to ask someone who looks in germy mouths all day – my dentist (who, by the way, feeds Darwin’s to his dog). He confirmed, “Germs in a canine and human mouth are very similar, except the human mouth is far more dangerous”.  He went on,   “For instance if my dog was to bite you, then I was to bite you, there would be a lot more trouble from my bite.”  (I assume he was referring to germs, not the lawsuits.)

Since all food carries some sort of bacteria, it’s easy to be confused by conflicting data.  Here is what we do know:  A dog’s mouth constantly flushes with saliva, washing away most food debris. Their saliva contains lysozyme, an enzyme that targets bacteria, which prevents an overgrowth of oral microbial populations keeping the canine mouth relatively germ-free.  1)

While dog’s mouths are naturally “self-cleansing” and the chances of being infected are generally low, there’s no “one size fits all” rule. Common sense tells us that you should wait a while after your dog has eaten so that the enzymes can do their thing. That being said, if you are at all uneasy about the immune-challenged, such as infants, the elderly, etc., you should probably err on the side of caution.

Now go kiss your dog.  Seriously.  Go kiss your dog!

Jeanne
Darwin’s Natural Pet Products

1) Pregastric Digestion: Salivary Glands and Saliva by R. Brown