Does Letting A Dog Lick Your Wounds. Licking might offer some protection against certain bacteria but there are serious drawbacks to letting your dog lick wounds. As dog bites carry risk of infection so does licking. Pros and cons of letting a dog lick his wound. MRSA infection in humans which produce lesions like the unsightly one above can be caused by as little as one lick from your dog.
But it does carry some additional risk. Excessive licking can lead to irritation paving the way for hot spots infections and potential self-mutilation. We dont recommend letting your dog lick its wound because it can end up doing more harm than good especially if heshe starts chewing at the wound. However if your dog wont let up with the licking problems can start fast. A veterinarian should check any deep penetrating wound ASAP. Dogs cats rodents and primates all lick wounds.
Although your dog means well when it tries to lick your wounds canine saliva can cause infections in humans.
The practice of allowing dogs to heal wounds with licking dates back as far as the Egyptian age where dogs were allowed to lick the open wounds of humans in the belief that their saliva could heal. But the key to protecting their wounds from infection is from their saliva or rather from saliva itself. Although your dog means well when it tries to lick your wounds canine saliva can cause infections in humans. A veterinarian should check any deep penetrating wound ASAP. A chemical analysis of canine saliva shows that it contains antimicrobial and antifungal proteins. Thats why it helps heal various injuries and reduce scars.