Is Kissing Your Pet Okay or Risky?

Vet Street via Yahoo! Shine ^ | 1/12/14 | Dr. Marty Becker

[Slings and Arrows]

There's a controversy in veterinary medicine that divides the profession, and it's over something that many pet owners never give a second thought: kissing your pets. As you might imagine, I have some thoughts on this topic. Because, yes, I kiss my pets, and yes, I know I probably shouldn't.

-snip-

But back to the risks. Shortly after the study about the transfer of oral bacteria from pets to people came out, I talked with Dr. Richard E. Besser, a pediatrician and the former acting head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the current ABC News chief health and medical editor.

"What do you think about this, Dr. Becker?" he asked me, to which I replied, "When's the last time you ever heard or read of a veterinarian dying of a zoonotic disease or having no teeth from dental disease?"

"Exactly," replied Dr. Besser. "I'm still kissing my dogs!"

And so am I.

[DaiHuy]

I kiss my girl friends’ kitty quite often.

[cpdiii]

I saw Obama kiss his pet Wookie!

My dog kisses me, and my cat sleeps in my bed, but I do not kiss a Wookie.

[PoloSec]

hehehe...like everything else it has to start somewhere!

[Rodamala]

Old roommate’s one English Lab (the “pick of the litter”) routinely would eat steamy turds he and his brother (the “runt” of the same litter) would deposit in the yard. The brother didn’t have this behavior at all.

Needless to say no kisses here.

[Salamander]

Opulence.

I has it.

I *loved* that commercial.

Hated to see him whacked on SOA, though.

[Salamander]

Dude's been licking snakes for 40+ years and he's obnoxiously healthy.

:)

[Salamander]

[verga]

Of course I kiss my pups. They sleep with me too! So what do you think about that!

I even built a stair, with carpeting, so they can get up into the bed with us.

[McGruff]

Our female dog eats her own poop. She don't get any kisses from me. But she gets alot of love.

[Organic Panic]

It is a submission thing. Watch any pack of dogs, wolves, or coyotes, and the submissives will lick the alphas teeth and lips. Really common, especially in younger dogs. And since we are the alphas they show us the submission.

[whatshotandwhatsnot]

Kissing my pups, borrowing someone’s cell phone, typing on a library computer, exercising at the gym or using a public restroom; which is more dangerous and germ ridden? I’ll take my chance with the pups any day.

[who knows what evil?]

One of our cats just pitched a sneezing fit in my wife’s face this morning...she ran to the bathroom screaming ‘Cat, snot, cat snot!’ Beats the alarm clock, I guess.

[who knows what evil?]

We need an edit feature...no comma after first ‘cat’.

[gunsequalfreedom]

Generally it is considered safe to kiss your pet goldfish but kissing your dog is absolutely sick.

I can’t imagine even having a dog in the house and people are asking if it is okay to smooch with a pooch.

[gunsequalfreedom]

Your vegetarian pets also lick parts of their body. Please forgive me for calling your post disgusting. I sure hope you are only joking.

Now going to wipe my keyboard clean after replying to your post in case you are not joking.

[FreedomPoster]

I’m still on the waiting list for mine.

[SWAMPSNIPER]

[JaguarXKE]

My dog kisses me, and my cat sleeps in my bed, but I do not kiss a Wookie.

Well, one must have standards! LOL

[CatherineofAragon]

I love that gif, LOL!

[CatherineofAragon]

Oh, you’re killing me with these adorable gifs....too much cute for one morning! (Well, not really...bring it)!