Do Dogs Have Cleaner Mouths Than People?

According to popular belief, a dog’s mouth is cleaner than a person’s. But is this really true?

Well, that depends. Cleanliness is really a discussion about the amount and type of bacteria the mouth contains. And that amount is determined by what was recently in the mouth. Unlike humans, dogs enjoy raw meat, garbage, and animals in varying states of decomposition.

If Fido just nabbed himself a nice decaying squirrel carcass, we could easily come to the conclusion that, no—his mouth is not cleaner than ours. Since Fido could have picked up disease causing germs from the dead animal it is possible that he might pass on these dangerous germs to humans in a bite.

However, germs for the most part are species specific. What that equates to is this: Harmful dog germs are usually harmless for humans, unless we are talking about rabies. This disease affects both dogs and humans in equally damaging ways. By the same token, human germs probably won’t harm a dog.

Now, human germs can harm humans. So a mouth full of harmful human bacteria would affect a person far more than a mouth full of doggie bacteria. So you might be better off kissing a dog than a human.

In an October 2005 story on ABC’s 20/20, Dr. Marty Becker, veterinarian and author of Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover’s Soul , commented on the theory that dogs’ saliva had some sort of germ-fighting ability. In the interview he stated that it isn’t the antibacterial property in the saliva that supports healing but rather the dog’s tongue removes infected tissue and stimulates circulation.

Becker reiterated that staph, strep and rhinoviruses do not generally carry back and forth between species. He also concluded that as long as your dog is vaccinated against rabies and kept free of parasites, a wet slurp on the cheek probably won’t do you any harm. In fact, it will probably do you a lot of good.

As Dr. Becker so aptly put it, “They love us conditionally, they make us laugh. If we’re going to give them a little kiss to thank them for that, then that’s good by me.”

Evanger’s Dog & Cat Food Co., Inc. Fails to Meet FDA Standards

FDA News Release - April 24, 2008

FDA Orders Pet Food Maker to Obtain Emergency Operating Permit

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an order requiring that Evanger’s Dog & Cat Food Co., Inc., in Wheeling, Ill., obtain an emergency permit from the FDA before its canned pet food products enter interstate commerce.

A recent inspection revealed significant deviations from prescribed documentation of processes, equipment, and recordkeeping in the production of the company’s thermally processed low acid canned food (LACF) products. These problems could result in under-processed pet foods, which can allow the survival and growth of Clostridium botulinum (C. botulinum), a bacterium that causes botulism in some animals as well as in humans.

“As outlined in the Food Protection Plan, the FDA uses a risk-based approach to locate the areas of greatest risk for foods, and targets preventive controls and inspections to those areas, ” said Dr. Stephen Sundlof, director, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. “The FDA’s authority to issue an order requiring an emergency permit is an enforcement tool designed to prevent unsafe foods from reaching consumers.”

The FDA issues an “Order of Need for Emergency Permit” if the agency determines that a company fails to meet the regulatory requirements to process a product that does not present a health risk. For Evanger’s to resume business, the company must document that corrective actions and processing procedures have been implemented to ensure that the finished product will not present a health hazard.

Botulism is a powerful toxin that affects the nervous system and can be fatal. The disease has been documented in dogs and cats. Signs of botulism in animals are progressive muscle paralysis, disturbed vision, difficulty in chewing and swallowing, and progressive weakness to the body. Death is usually due to paralysis of the heart or the muscles used in breathing.

In light of human botulism illnesses and recalls that occurred due to under-processed hot dog chili sauce, and potentially under-processed canned green beans, FDA has urged all LACF processors to review their operations and the apply scientific principles and regulations that have been established to provide a safe product.

While FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine has authority over animal feed and foods, CFSAN is responsible for regulating all human and animal LACF processing. The two centers are collaborating on this enforcement action.