You shouldn’t let your dog lick your plate either – it could have serious consequences
You might think it’s cute to have kisses with your dog – but your pooch’s mouth could contain germs that end up killing you, according to a new study.
Researchers from the UK Royal Veterinary College and the University of Lisbon are urging dog owners to stop letting their four legged friends lick them and to wash their hands after petting, as their slobber is apparently full of superbugs.
During a recent survey, scientists focused on a super strain of E.coli detached in human and animal fecal samples from 41 homes in Portugal and 45 homes in Britain.
14 out of 85 dogs showed they had the superbug – making theirs the largest share of infected poo.
Dogs put their noses just about anywhere – so chances are, you’re not too surprised at this stat. Although according to the same study, us humans aren’t actually that much better, with 15 out of 114 human samples also showed traces of E.coli.
Cat-lovers will be pleased to hear that only one out of 18 samples from their furry friends showed the superbug.
However when it comes to the spread of this virus, it isn’t clear as to whether it’s the humans or the dogs that are responsible. As such, experts are also asking owners not to let dogs eat from their plates, according to reports from The Telegraph.
While talking about bugs in poo doesn’t sound all that serious, antibiotic resistance is actually one of the biggest threats to humanity right now as pathogens targeted by common drugs are evolving to become impervious and therefore more dangerous, say scientists.
Speaking to The Telegraph, Dr. Juliana Menezes, lead author of the dog poo study, said: “Even before COVID, antibiotic resistance was one of the biggest threats to public health.
“It can make conditions like pneumonia, sepsis, urinary tract and wound infections untreatable.
“Although the level of sharing from the households we have studied is low, healthy carriers can shed bacteria into their environment for months, and they can be a source of infection for other more vulnerable people and animals such as the elderly and pregnant women.”
Menezes did say that a good hygiene practice will help reduce sharing germs and washing hands after collecting dog waste, and even after petting them, is strongly advised.
Related links:
- Man spends thousands flying sick dog 8,000 miles to UK and back for life-saving surgery
- Hundreds of dogs found dead in Ukrainian shelter after being locked away since February 24
- 1.5 million men would wear a suit to bury their pet- would you?
