After breaking my leg in my first year of college, I had to have surgery, leaving a fairly noticeable scar on my knee. Growing up, I never had a dog, but my friend Brianna did, and her dog would lick my scar each time I visited her home. It was beneficial, Brianna’s mother would say, because a dog’s saliva can actually hasten the healing of wounds. Well, 3 years later, I’ve made the decision to further investigate this assertion.
When dogs were used in healing rituals in ancient Egypt, people began to believe that dog saliva could treat human wounds. The Egyptians thought that being licked by a dog, particularly on an open wound, would hasten healing or even cure the illness’s underlying disease This idea permeated the beliefs of the ancient Greeks, who kept dogs trained to lick wounds in many of their temples to Asclepius, the god of medicine and healing. Being licked by a dog is still valued by many cultures, according to Psychology Today, and is thought to have healing properties. There is even a modern French proverb that reads, “A dog’s tongue is a doctor’s tongue,” or “Langue de chien, langue de médecin.” ””.
Doctors have a few theories as to why dog saliva might aid in the healing of wounds. First off, simply applying the dog’s tongue to a wound physically can be beneficial for removing any debris that may be there. While this is true, the majority of scientific study has concentrated on particular antibiotic compounds found in dog saliva. The University of Amsterdam’s Menno Oudhoff discovered the histatins, a class of straightforward proteins, in saliva. These have a reputation for being effective at preventing infections. Some histatins also cause skin surface cells (referred to as the epithelium) to cover a wound more quickly. In the saliva of dogs, a protein known as Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) was discovered by another team of researchers at the University of Florida at Gainesville. “Wounds doused with NGF healed twice as fast as untreated (that is, unlicked) wounds,” the study’s findings showed. The presence of these beneficial proteins in dog saliva should, in theory, aid in the healing of human wounds.
Although there may be some potential advantages to using dog saliva, there are also risks. For instance, it is known that a bacterium called Pasteurella is present in the mouths of dogs, and that if it enters a human wound, it can cause the skin infection cellulitis. There are numerous reports of this occurring, and occasionally the outcomes have been extremely negative, leading to infections that have necessitated amputations and occasionally the infections that resulted have been life-threatening. “Two women, ages 32 from Georgia and 48 from Texas, contracted the disease from their dogs, and when it spread, both women had to have their legs amputated. One thing to keep in mind is that these infections were brought on by dog bites, not dog licks. However, just because a dog has bacteria in their mouths doesn’t necessarily mean they can spread it to a wound by licking it. In these instances, the bacteria was deeply injected through the bite rather than surface-level saliva.
Although I was unable to locate any experiments for this study, I was able to read some anecdotes. However, the anecdotes were all unfavorable, describing how various people contracted infections after dogs licked their wounds. I believe that carrying out an experiment to determine whether or not this theory is true would be challenging. To allow dogs to lick their wounds, injured people would need to be willing to take a chance on getting an infection. In reality, these wounds wouldn’t just heal over night. The subject’s wound would need to be licked every day for the scientists to determine whether dog saliva has a significant impact. Then they would have to contrast it with a wound that is recovering normally. When you stop to think about it, dog’s saliva would already be bottled and sold to the general public if it were a risk-free method of healing.
You can be allergic to dog saliva.
While many people mistakenly believe that pet fur causes allergic reactions in dogs, many of these reactions are actually caused by proteins in dog saliva.
According to one study, dog saliva contains at least 12 different allergy-causing protein bands. When dogs lick their fur, the saliva dries, and these proteins become airborne.1
According to the study’s researchers, dog saliva has more potential to be an allergen source than dog dander. According to the study, different dogs have different protein profiles (IgE), which makes some of their saliva more allergic to certain humans who are hypersensitive to this protein.
You can get hookworms and other parasites from dog saliva.
Although it is uncommon, some intestinal parasites can be transmitted to humans through dog saliva.
After defecating, dogs are known to lick their hind ends, and they are also known to greet one another by touching noses to rump. This means that dogs’ mouths and nasal cavities may contain microscopic bacteria and parasites carried in fecal material.
The majority of intestinal parasites spread from feces to the mouth, and this process is made easier by mouth wounds. These parasites include Giardia, hookworms, and roundworms. Fortunately, these infections are frequently eliminated by our immune systems and the enzymes in our mouths before they cause any problems.
Young children and the elderly population are at a higher risk of developing clinical symptoms from zoonotic parasitic infections that come from dogs than are immunocompromised individuals.
Can You Be Allergic to Dog Saliva?
Although it’s frequently believed that dog hair causes allergies in some people, this isn’t always the case. Due to the proteins and allergens in saliva, many people experience allergic reactions. Studies show that dog saliva contains at least 12 different types of allergy-causing proteins. When a dog licks his fur, the saliva dries and the proteins are released into the air, where they are inhaled by allergy sufferers and result in an allergic reaction.
Unfortunately, having a dog with a non-shedding coat won’t help because studies show that dog saliva is more likely to cause allergic reactions than dog dander.
FAQ
Can dog saliva heal human wounds?
Dog saliva is antibacterial, but it probably won’t heal wounds. Dogs often lick their wounds in order to clean them. Dogs may lick their wounds in order to benefit from the healing properties of their saliva.
Is dog saliva good for infections?
Dogs’ saliva prevents some bacteria from growing. However, the benefits are largely limited, and this is only marginally effective. Nothing in a dog’s saliva can hasten the healing of wounds. They don’t lick their wounds to heal them; instead, they keep them clean to stop infection.
Should dogs lick human wounds?
Dog saliva can be useful for cleaning and even healing wounds. It has been suggested that their saliva may have healing and antimicrobial properties. However, it might be crucial to restrain your dog from excessively licking your wounds.
Why do dogs lick wounds on humans?
Your dog licks your wounds as a sign of concern for you as a pack member. When hurt, a dog’s natural instinct is to lick at the wound in an effort to treat and heal it. Dogs will do this to people they care about. However, it’s also possible that your dog enjoys the flavor and wants more of it!