are dogs mouths really clean??

Question

people tell me when dogs lick them that dogs have the cleanest mouths is that really true?

Answer 1

Well, sort of. I have heard that they have less bacteria in their mouths than we do. But the fact is that our mouths have so much bacteria they make a dumpster look like a sanitary wipe. Fact is human mouths are so freaking nasty they should all come with toxic waste symbols. So maybe a dog's mouth is cleaner than yours... that means its about as clean as kissing another persons butt hole. Not to mention that the part they arent telling you is that dogs carry parasites... how bout some round worms with that kiss?

Answer 2

Pet lovers can't get enough affection from their pooches. And if licking is loving, they get a lot of loving.

Proof From a Veterinarian
He thinks the myth that a dog's mouth is clean stems from their practice of licking their wounds.

"And they'll be licking that wound and you'll notice that the wound heals very fast … what that tongue does is it gets rid of the dead tissue," said Becker.

He compares that tongue lashing to the work of a surgeon who cleans out a wound, and said the licking also stimulates circulation.

Go Ahead, Give Them a Kiss
If you want to give your pooch a kiss, it may be safer than kissing another human.

Becker says many of the bacteria in the mouth of a dog are species specific, so it won't harm its owner.

"So a staph or a strep for a human is not transmissible to a dog, if you were to kiss it, and vice versa," said Becker.

Bottom line -- you're more likely to get a serious illness from kissing a person than kissing a dog. But since dogs do transmit some germs, Becker has some advice: "Keep the vaccines current. Good external parasite control, good internal parasite control. You're going to be good to go."

And then, he says you can kiss them all you want.

Answer 3

I have heard that being bit by a dog doesn't lead to the major infections that a cat bite would. I kiss my dog but don't want him to actually lick my mouth. He is a country dog and often brings back a squirrel or groundhog. Yuck! I tried to brush his teeth for his tartar problem and he won't let me.

Answer 4

Actually, Mythbusters busted the myth that a dog's mouth is cleaner than a human's. Their mouths are as dirty as any mouth. They eat crap and lick their own genitals, for crying out loud! Of course they are not clean!

Answer 5

I would say NO! My son was bit by his aunts dog, within 24 hours the infection went from wrist to elbow, dogs have major germs in their mouth so do people, they say this cause a dog can clean their own wound, but as for them licking a human...GROSS!!!

Answer 6

Being as if you get bitten by a dog you can get a very bad infection from it, I think I would be correct is saying that dogs have bacteria in their mouths. I have seen countless dog bites in the ER where I worked.

Answer 7

Yes Dogs have less bacteria in there mouth then a human has in there mouth.

Answer 8

Well I know it may be weird but it is true.. their mouths may smell REALLY bad but the food they eat cleans there mouth.. Also you could just brush their teeth!

Answer 9

It seems dogs have less germs and bacteria in their mouths than humans do, which is why people say they are "clean".

Answer 10

I wouldn't be French kissing them, but our mouths have more germs than theirs do. It reminds me of the Peanuts cartoon where Lucy is kissed by Snoopy, goes off screaming about dog germs, then he thinks to himself, "I don't feel so good myself!"