Before the dawn of antibiotics and other medicines designed to heal wounds and rid the injury of bacteria, dogs did just fine by nursing their injuries to health with the use of their tongue.
For centuries people have noticed that dogs always lick their wounds when they get injured. although the following idea may not appeal to you, research has shown that a dogs’ licking can be good for people to!
Like I said, it doesn’t sound that inviting to have your dog lick you if you are cut or scratched somewhere, but the point of this information is to disclose the fact that there may be something inside dog saliva that can induce healing. In fact, it has recently been discovered that the saliva that comes from a dog’s mouth does contain a mild bacterial effect when placed on an open wound.
Speaking Of Bacteria…
One very popular question which seems to come up over and over again concerns dogs and whether or not they can catch a human cold. You may have noticed that your dog has probably never gotten sick when you and your other family members were experiencing a heavy case of the flu or a nagging cold, and the germs are saturated throughout the household.
If this is the case, then why didn’t your dog get sick? The answer goes back to the properties contained in your dog’s saliva. Everything that a dog ingests into his system will come through his nose and his mouth. And because of the antibacterial effect that his saliva has on incoming foreign bodies, these germs are literally wiped away before they can enter into his system. In addition, it is extremely rare for the same viruses to be passed from one species to another.
The only exception to this rule is when a person is experiencing an extremely damaged immune system. Viruses such as HIV and cancer patients are such examples. It is these people that may be prone to possibly catching a virus or other type of sickness from an animal. But remember, this is extremely rare and there is no need to worry unless you are categorized in the above weakened immune system scenario.
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