Are dogs' mouths really cleaner than humans'?

Answer 1

Is is a controversial subject. Read about it here:

http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/dogs/a/dog_breath.htm

Answer 2

NO! That is a gross misconception! Think of every place that a dog licks, and each item a dog eats.

The way I heard it when I was a kid was that a dog's mouth is actually "sterile." I can even recall someone in my neighborhood attempting to "prove" this to anybody who'd sit still for it by letting his dog lick the inside of his own mouth — not a particularly conclusive demonstration, but memorable just the same.

I believed what I was told at the time in spite of the contradictory evidence at hand, namely that people often become quite ill and even die from dog bites. If a dog's mouth is sterile, how could it transmit rabies, tetanus, pasteurella or any of the other types of infection associated with dog bites?

But I digress. The precise question was: Is a dog's mouth cleaner than a human's? The answer to that is no, too, and basically for the reasons you've already cited. As we all know, dogs aren't particularly fussy about where they put their tongues or what goes into their mouths.

"A dog's mouth contains a lot of bacteria," notes Dr. Gary "Ask the Vet" Clemons. "Remember, a dog's tongue is not only his wash cloth but also his toilet paper."

Not only accurate, but delicately put!

So, where did the notion that a dog's mouth is cleaner than a human's come from? Doctors, evidently. It has long been noted in the medical literature that human bites are more likely to become infected than those of other mammals, including dogs. Statistics to that effect were published in journals and repeated by medical professionals, and folk wisdom took off from there.

Answer 3

No, but according to this article, humans are immune to most dog germs, so if you had to choose between getting bit by a dog and a human, I'd opt for the dog.

Answer 4

They say so, but I dont know my dog eats **** out of the cat litter box, lick back up their own puke, even licked up her pee when she was little. I dont walk around doing that, so I'd say I have a cleaner mouth.

Answer 5

No,
Dogs mouths are full of more bacteria than human mouths are.

Answer 6

My dog once biten me because I accidentaly step on his tale while he was asleep and my toe got infected (just going out of the shower) so, I don't think so.

Answer 7

no, but even though the dog has more bacteria in its mouth, it doesn't get sick because of how many enzymes and anti-bodies

Answer 8

i dont think so.. they lick them selves between there legs, they eat poop.. they have no problem dragging something in from outside..

mine loves to play with bugs and rats ...

does this sound clean to you? not to me

Answer 9

That's what they say but I find it so hard to believe given that they eat sh*t if you let them.

Answer 10

yes