Comparing a dog ’s mouthpiece with a human ’s mouth is sort of like comparing apples and orange tree — really filthy apple and really filthy oranges . Both species ' mouths are blistering , dampish places teeming with roughly adequate universe of bacteria . Neither would be trace as fresh , and any interrogation ofcomparativecleanliness is irrelevant because so much of that bacteria is metal money - specific . Most of the microbe in your dog ’s sassing are n’t go to be a problem during a big , plastered bow-wow kiss . You ’re more likely to run into trouble kissing another human than you are a dog , because bacteria from a person ’s oral fissure will sense equally at home in yours .
Of course , not all bacterium are species - specific . Dogs and humans can and do transmit some germs to each other via the mouth , so if your bounder is the type that care to poke faces ( is there any other type ? ) , there are a few precautions you may take . One , endeavor to keep your firedog from foot up any external bacterium by keeping them out of the trashcan ( and away from rancid food for thought ) , and away from wild animals ( lest they contract rabies ) . Two , keep them sizable : up - to - appointment vaccinum , good outside and interior leech command , steady teeth brushing , etc .
And then , pucker up !
While we ’re at it , rent ’s harness two more things we ’re often tell apart about canine tooth : 1 ) Dogs lick their wounds and they bring around very fast , and 2 ) Dogs do n’t get as many cavity as human . There are round-eyed explanations for both . lick the wounds gets rid of dead cells and dirt , just like when we launder our combat injury . The resistant system of rules have it from there .
As for cavities , they ’re for the most part because of the bacteriaStreptococcus mutans . These bacteria feed on sugar , which is far more common in a man ’s diet than a dog ’s . HenceS. mutansprefers to live in our lip , not Fido ’s .
[ This Big Question originally appeared in 2010 . ]
