Dogs R(n't) Us
So your roommate got a dog. Exciting, right? He’s cute, he’s cuddly, he’s playful…and he’s full of bacteria.
You want to make sure that your roommate is aware of all the potential germs she’s invited into the house, but she’s too convinced that his cute little mouth is cleaner than that of a human’s to heed your warnings. What do you say?
Let’s start with the basics of dispelling the ‘dog mouths are cleaner than human mouths’ rumor.
Image: The Happy Puppy Site
Dogs, like us, are hosts to hundreds of trillions of microbes that live everywhere from mouths to guts to skin and fur. Just like for us, their microbes help them survive by helping them with digesting food and fighting off other more nasty microbes.
Image: ScienceSource
Also like us, dogs are adapted to their specific microbes. Take for example, the bacterium, Pasteurella multocida (image to the left). It lives successfully on dog skin as well as in the digestive tract and mouth. It is the most common cause of infection caused by dog bites.
If left untreated, P. multocida infections can be severe enough to cause meningitis, which is when the tissue around your spine and brain swell. This can be life-threatening if not treated with antibiotics soon enough, so maybe use some Neosporin instead of letting the puppy lick your wounds.
Dogs don’t just carry their own microbes that can be problematic for you and your roommate, but they also frequently pick up disease-causing microbes in the park.
Now I know your roommate may say that her puppy is a good dog and he would never do this but, odds are, he sticks his nose in other dogs’ poops. Fortunately for him, E. coli and the other bugs in there are less likely to make him super sick. His immune system has special mechanisms to keep the microbes in check.
If he rubs his dirty nose on you though, the aftermath won’t be quite so mild because your body is not prepared to handle E. coli anywhere other than in your colon.
Image: Pinterest
So what does this mean? In reality, dogs mouths are actually “dirtier” than those of humans. Let’s think logically about it for a moment. Dog’s stick their noses and mouths in everything from poop to dead animals to the garbage. Now I dare you to just think about doing the same. ~yuck~ Right?
The difference, then, is really that the immune systems of dogs are specially equipped to handle the gross things that our immune systems can’t. Thus, for your roommate’s sake and for your sanity, you should probably let her know that kissing her dog on the mouth is a bad idea.
But remember—if you’ve got a standard immune system and wash your hands after petting your fluffy new friend, you should be totally fine and safe from sickness. The key is washing your hands and making sure the pup keeps away from surfaces where you put food.
I urge you not to be scared of your germy new family member, but rather to set a few boundaries with him. Let him know that the floor is his and the table is yours. Finally, don’t forget to let your roommate know that she’s got some serious training and a lot of cleaning ahead of her!
Image: Giphy