Look, I own a dog, but you're not going to catch me locking lips with my pet like some dog owners do. In fact, vets have revealed the gross reason you probably shouldn't let your dog lick you in the face.
According to Penn State researchers, dogs are often overlooked as spreaders for zoonotic diseases. In particular, there's a risk of catching Salmonella from your dog and it's sloppy wet kisses.
"Especially with Salmonella, we think about the role of agriculture and transmission - we think about eggs, we think about beef," said Sophia Kenney, an author of the study. "But the thing is, we don't let cows sleep in our beds or lick our faces, but we do dogs. We have this close bond with companion animals in general, and we have a really close interface with dogs."
Don't Kiss Your Dog
You don't want Salmonella, trust me. It carries a host of nasty symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach aches. It turns out that you can also catch it from pets as well. "ost pet reptiles or amphibians can carry salmonella. Dogs, cats and rodents can occasionally become infected," the NHS explains.
The Penn State researchers wanted to see if it would be possible to spread Salmonella from dogs to humans.
