# 20 reasons to have a dog in your life



## redbirddog (Apr 23, 2010)

http://distractify.com/geek/science/reasons-you-absolutely-need-a-dog-in-your-life/

Vizsla kissing to heal. Great list. Worth sharing.


_12. Heal Wounds Simply By Kissing You

A dog kissing you obviously feels wonderful, but it might actually have physical benefits too. Studies have shown that saliva, both the human and doggie variety, can help stimulate nerves and muscles, and get oxygen moving again, which is the secret ingredient in helping wounds to heal. In short, “licking your wounds” is not just a cliche after all._


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## nict9 (Aug 15, 2013)

We always let the dog lick our cuts as kids, never had any infected wounds. Dogs rule


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## Kafka (Jul 24, 2013)

That's a fun article!

Just a word of caution, the medical world generally advises not to let your dog lick your wounds.

(for example http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23025205: "Because of the presence of a quite different mouth flora including various potential zoonotic pathogens, it is strictly not advised to let dogs lick the wounds or face of the human.")

I don't know how it is possible to have a vizsla and not have your face licked , but be careful when it comes to wounds. 

There have been cases where the dog's licks caused serious infections, like meningitis after a dog licking their owner's ear
(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10520644 "A patient with right-sided chronic purulent otorrhoea developed meningitis due to Pasteurella multocida transmitted by a dog that frequently licked his ear.")

I'm not a doctor, and it seems like most of these incidents were with already infected wounds made worse by the dog. 
Also, I must admit, I still let my dog lick my face, but I just wanted to share this.


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

Lucy thinks my husband neck needs a good cleaning everyday after work. I wouldn't let her lick my wounds because she gets a little to into it. June had a small cut on her chest, and it was twice the size after Lucy groomed her.


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