[Paddlewise] Dogs licking your wounds...not ideal.

I couldn't let this misconception go without comment...I am both a
veterinarian and a physician.

Dogs carry several types of bacteria in their mouth than can and do
cause wound infections in people...as do most mammals, and many
nonmammals.   Dog bites do get infected, and there has been at least one
case report of a surgical wound infection from an owner's dog who did
not bite the infected person, the owner.

The only time it is likely beneficial to let a dog lick your wounds is
perhaps if  a person had an open and already infected wound when no
other form of beneficial treatment is available.....in this situation a
dog licking the wounds could result in a form of what we call
debridement of the wound...removal of infected tissue and infectious
drainage which interferes with normal healing and the formation of
granulation tissue...the early tissues which cover an open wound by an
ingrowth of cells which cover the open wound so that the wound can
eventually contract to close itself and hopefully "heal".   This works
when dogs lick their own open, infected and otherwise neglected
wounds...but certainly is not a sure thing, nor is it a first line
preferred way of treating wounds in dogs or people.

Maggots could also be of some benefit in such a situation...but neither
"treatment" of such wounds is thought to be a good approach when other
options are available.  Perhaps on a deserted island it would be good,
under the described circumstances.

There are many great benefits to owning a dog...but having your fresh
wounds licked is not one of them.  Dog Magic works in other ways.....

By the way..when I was a kid we  sometimes did  the blood brother
maneuver...I would now prefer to have by wounds licked by my dog...than
that.  :)

Michael Orchard
Vancouver, Washington


>
> Date: Sun, 24 Mar 2002 22:03:41 -0800
> From: timbre_at_spiger.com
> Subject: [Paddlewise] Cleaning Wounds With Urine--A More Pleasant
Option
>
> in terms of wound cleaning, maybe people should do what my childhood
best
> friend did when we got owies:  she made me (us) let her dog lick them
and
> swore it would heal them.  they did heal, though i don't know if it
was Dog
> Magic (i suspect not); but i can think of lots worse places for a dog
than
> in my kayak.  :-)
>
> kcd


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