Is it okay to kiss your pet?
Licking is a behavior that dogs learn from birth. As soon as puppies are born, their mother licks them in order to clean them and stimulate breathing, and the pups learn to lick their mother in return. This licking instinct never goes away. The process of licking releases endorphins that provide a sense of pleasure and help to relieve stress, which is why some dogs resort to obsessive licking behaviors when they get anxious. In dog packs, licking also serves as a sign of submission to more dominant members of the pack. When it comes to dogs licking humans, however, it’s generally a sign of affection, although sometimes your dog might lick you simply because you taste good.
While it was once believed that dogs’ mouths were cleaner than those of humans and that dog saliva had healing properties, this myth has been thoroughly debunked. Considering that dogs are prone to nibbling on poop and licking their own unmentionables, it probably comes as no surprise that in reality, a dog’s mouth is a pool of germs. However, while dog saliva can carry such dangerous bacteria as Salmonella and E. coli, as well as parasites like Giardia and Cryptosporidium, these illnesses generally aren’t carried in quantities large enough to pose a danger to most humans, and there is very little evidence that doggie kisses are a means of transmission.
According to Cesar Millan, licking behaviors stem from ingrained personality traits bred through canines as a means of communication, bonding, grooming, or even psychological problems. Mother dogs show affection to their puppies in a variety of ways to create biological bonds and they use licking as one tool from the moment of birth. The mother dog will “wake” their puppies from their post-partum state through licks, use this method to groom puppies and even teach bathroom functions. They will also feed puppies’ solid food through regurgitation licked by the young until they can digest it on their own.
Another way kisses or licks is used as a bonding tool is when two dogs meet each other, either for the first or 1000th time. Dogs will initiate a “feeling out” period and then respond with a tense posture (when they are mistrusting or wary of each other) or an enthusiastic bark combined with a lick on either the face or other area of the opposing animal. Dogs also use these displays of affection to show submission to their pack master or to let them know they are hungry, thirsty, etc. Domestic house dogs view their owner as their pack master so the ingrained behaviors are communicated in the same ways.
Dogs who show signs of excessive licking towards humans or objects can also be disguising deeper mental problems. Such issues could be separation anxiety (the fear of being alone) or being nervous in their surroundings due to noise, crowds, smells etc.
The risk of animal-borne diseases is small, but real.
Our relationship with pets has changed drastically in recent decades.Pet ownership is at an all-time high, with a recent survey finding 69% of Australian households have at least one pet.We spend an estimated A$33 billion every year on caring for our fur babies.
While owning a pet is linked to numerous mental and physical health benefits, our pets can also harbour infectious diseases that can sometimes be passed on to us. For most people, the risk is low.
But some, such as pregnant people and those with weakened immune systems, are at greater risk of getting sick from animals. So, it’s important to know the risks and take necessary precautions to prevent infections.
What diseases can pets carry?
Infectious diseases that move from animals to humans are called zoonotic diseases or zoonoses. More than 70 pathogens of companion animals are known to be transmissible to people.
Sometimes, a pet that has a zoonotic pathogen may look sick. But often there may be no visible symptoms, making it easier for you to catch it, because you don’t suspect your pet of harbouring germs.
Zoonoses can be transmitted directly from pets to humans, such as through contact with saliva, bodily fluids and faeces, or indirectly, such as through contact with contaminated bedding, soil, food or water.
Studies suggest the prevalence of pet-associated zoonoses is low. However, the true number of infections is likely underestimated since many zoonoses are not “notifiable”, or may have multiple exposure pathways or generic symptoms.
Dogs and cats are major reservoirs of zoonotic infections (meaning the pathogens naturally live in their population) caused by viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites. In endemic regions in Africa and Asia, dogs are the main source of rabies which is transmitted through saliva.
Dogs also commonly carry Capnocytophaga bacteria in their mouths and saliva, which can be transmitted to people through close contact or bites.
The vast majority of people won’t get sick, but these bacteria can occasionally cause infections in people with weakened immune systems, resulting in severe illness and sometimes death. Just last week, such a death was reported in Western Australia.
Cat-associated zoonoses include a number of illnesses spread by the faecal-oral route, such as giardiasis, campylobacteriosis, salmonellosis and toxoplasmosis. This means it’s especially important to wash your hands or use gloves whenever handling your cat’s litter tray.
Cats can also sometimes transmit infections through bites and scratches, including the aptly named cat scratch disease, which is caused by the bacterium Bartonella henselae.
Both dogs and cats are also reservoirs for methicillin-resistant bacterium Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), with close contact with pets identified as an important risk factor for zoonotic transmission.
Birds, turtles and fish can also transmit disease
But it’s not just dogs and cats that can spread diseases to humans. Pet birds can occasionally transmit psittacosis, a bacterial infection which causes pneumonia.
Contact with pet turtles has been linked to Salmonella infections in humans, particularly in young children. Even pet fish have been linked to a range of bacterial infections in humans, including vibriosis, mycobacteriosis and salmonellosis.
Close contact with animals – and some behaviours in particular – increase the risk of zoonotic transmission.
A study from the Netherlands found half of owners allowed pets to lick their faces, and 18% allowed dogs to share their bed. (Sharing a bed increases the duration of exposure to pathogens carried by pets.) The same study found 45% of cat owners allowed their cat to jump onto the kitchen sink.
Kissing pets has also been linked to occasional zoonotic infections in pet owners. In one case, a woman in Japan developed meningitis due to Pasteurella multicoda infection, after regularly kissing her dog’s face. These bacteria are often found in the oral cavities of dogs and cats.
Young children are also more likely to engage in behaviours which increase their risk of getting sick from animal-borne diseases – such as putting their hands in their mouth after touching pets. Children are also less likely to wash their hands properly after handling pets.
Although anybody who comes into contact with a zoonotic pathogen via their pet can become sick, certain people are more likely to suffer from serious illness. These people include the young, old, pregnant and immunosuppressed.
For example, while most people infected with the toxoplasmosis parasite will experience only mild illness, it can be life-threatening or cause birth defects in foetuses.
What should I do if I’m worried about catching a disease from my pet?
There are a number of good hygiene and pet husbandry practices that can reduce your risk of becoming sick. These include:
- washing your hands after playing with your pet and after handling their bedding, toys, or cleaning up faeces
- not allowing your pets to lick your face or open wounds
- supervising young children when they are playing with pets and when washing their hands after playing with pets
- wearing gloves when changing litter trays or cleaning aquariums
- wetting bird cage surfaces when cleaning to minimise aerosols
- keeping pets out of the kitchen (especially cats who can jump onto food preparation surfaces)
- keeping up to date with preventative veterinary care, including vaccinations and worm and tick treatments
- seeking veterinary care if you think your pet is unwell.
It is especially important for those who are at a higher risk of illness to take precautions to reduce their exposure to zoonotic pathogens. And if you’re thinking about getting a pet, ask your vet which type of animal would best suit your personal circumstances.
The Dangers of Dog Kisses
The top five bacteria that could be transferred through the face and/or mouth are outlined in a short summary below:
- Capnocytophaga Canimorsus: An organism carried in the mouths of dogs, and it causes a very bad sepsis infection.
2. Staphylococcus Aureu (Staph Infection): The majority of time your dog can safely carry this virus strain without it affecting their overall health, but when transferred to a human it can have life-threatening consequences.
3. Ringworm or Hookworm: Can cause either painful itchy infections or inflammation, or even intestinal bleeding depending on the point of entry.
4. E.Coli: A potentially fatal bacterial disease with symptoms ranging from diarrhea to nausea to intestinal bleeding.
5. Salmonella: A painful bacterial disease that can cause diarrhea, intestinal cramping, nausea and vomiting.
Perhaps the greatest show of love and affection can be achieved using the simplest of kisses. That is exactly how powerful a kiss is. Humans kiss one another as a mark of solidarity, expressing their love and respect. For such a show of love, why should kisses remain confined to the space between humans? We pet lovers also love and respect our pet dogs. So it is quite justifiable that we can spare a warm kiss for our furry friends.
All said and done, there always has been a qualm about the viability of kissing a dog. Dog owners have always had a polarized viewpoint in terms of the hygiene aspect of such a conduct. It is completely understandable and justified given the fact that dogs are quite notorious at poking their noses at some of the most unpalatable and uncensored places in the world. Naming a few places here is bound to make you cringe with disgust and should be best left to your wild imagination.
However, a recent study at the University of Arizona hypothesized the better effects of kissing your dog. The microbes contained in a dog’s gut are believed to have a probiotic effect on the human body, much like the yoghurt! Surprised? Well we have done that more than once, so don’t be. Read on to know the five reasons why it is okay to kiss your dog.
The emotional connect
Simply put, kissing your dog enhances the bonding between you. Imagine how it has longed to see you throughout the day. A warm kiss is just the need of the hour to tell your pugster, how you have missed him too.
Stress buster at a smooch
If you have been feeling stressed due to the long hours at office or after a long fight with your wife for not getting her that diamond ring, just kiss your pooch and see how your stress vanishes in a jiffy! Kissing releases oxytocin in the blood, which eases stress.
Friends-not-for-benefits
Your dog loves you selflessly. No terms and conditions. What better way to reciprocate the feeling than to kiss him and thank him for all the unconditional love.
Compiled & Shared by- Team, LITD (Livestock Institute of Training & Development)
Image-Courtesy-Google
Reference-On Request.
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