How safe it is to kiss your pet mouth to mouth has been a topic of debate for many years. There are many myths regarding the issue and some pet owners even claim that the mouth of a dog or a cat is actually cleaner than a human mouth and thereby a “pet-smooch” acts as a disinfectant.

Dr. Paul Maza, who is the co-director of the health center at the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University, busts all the myths and misconception regarding the issue. In an interview given to foxnews.com Maza says that the safety of a pet smooch depends entirely on the oral hygiene practiced on the pet by the pet owner. According to him, if you brush your pet’s teeth regularly, then the pet’s mouth will actually become cleaner than a human mouth.

“Many of the different types of bacteria in dogs and cats are the same type of bacteria as in humans. At any given point in time they are probably not any dirtier than ours. Because most of the bacteria and viruses in a dog’s mouth are the same as in a person’s mouth, it is safe to kiss a dog, just like a person. You can probably catch more from kissing a human than a dog or cat,” Maza said.

In certain rare instances transmission of diseases from animals to humans has been reported. However, Maza stated that such transmissions were very rare in cats and dogs. According to him dogs are safer than cats in this regard as cat may have cat scratch fever or bartonella that can lead to disease in human beings. He also pointed out certain parasites, such as Taxolpasmosis, have eggs in the feces of pets and this can cause transmission of parasites. But such occurrences were very rare, he said.

He also ruled out transmission of fecal bacteria from pets due to their grooming techniques. According to Dr. Maza, fecal bacteria are swallowed quickly by the pet and even if it is not so such bacteria are no different than the normal ones. He also pointed out that often people restrained from kissing a dog or a cat, not due to safety concerns, but more out of mysophobia which is the fear of germs. “A dog licking a baby on the head or hand is probably safe, but some like to avoid germs at all costs. Others say there are germs everywhere and it is too hard to avoid them all the time,” he said.
However, he said “common sense hygiene” can keep a lot of illnesses at bay. According to him, “Many people will use gloves to clean litter boxes and pick up dog poop, and you can even wash hands after petting. If you want to prevent bacteria of the mouth, you can brush pet’s mouths and use rinses just like people do.” He also urged pet owners not to allow their pets on kitchen counter and to wipe the counters before preparing food.

Finally to put all concerns to rest he proudly declared, “I kiss my dog all the time.”