Talking about what’s in dog saliva, let’s take out time to give a brief introduction to dog saliva.
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Introduction on Dog Saliva- What’s in Dog Saliva?
Dog saliva is transparent slightly sticky fluid synthesized and discharged by the salivary glands in the mouth.
Dog’s saliva is 99.5% water plus electrolytes, mucus, leukocyte, antimicrobial agents, and enzymes
Benefits of Dog Saliva
The saliva in dogs has certain benefits.
Some of them include;
• Dog saliva has some antibacterial and antimicrobial effects.- Dog saliva is effective against Escherichia coli (E. coli), and evenStreptococcus canis which is zoonotic
• Some of the enzymes in the saliva are important in initiating the digestion of starches and fats.
• Some other enzymes also play a role in degrading food particles hanging within dental areas, thus preventing dental diseases.
• Saliva also performs a lubricating function, making food wet and facilitating swallowing, and also preventing oral desiccation (dry)
• Dog saliva also plays a role in taste
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Dog Saliva disease symptoms
There are symptoms of saliva disease in dogs and they include;
• Xerostomia- Characterized by dry mouth
• Ptyalism– Characterized by drooling of saliva
• Salivary mucocele (or sialocele)– Characterized by an accumulation of saliva in the submucosal or subcutaneous tissues and swelling
• Salivary gland tumors– Characterized by swelling and tumor around the mandible
What Disease Can You Get from Dog Saliva
As humans, we must be very careful as there are certain diseases that can be gotten from dog saliva.
Some of them include;
• Rabies
• Sepsis
• Toxoplasmosis
• Capnocytophaga canimorsus infection
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Dog Saliva in Eye and Mouth
It doesn’t have any significant dangerous effect provided the dog is healthy.
But if it’s an unhealthy dog the eyes might be seriously infected, because of some bacteria in the saliva.
Hence it is advisable to rinse the eyes with normal saline and see a doctor immediately.
If the saliva is swallowed provided the dog is healthy and the person who also swallowed is healthy, then there is no significant dangerous effect.
But if the above is not the case, then an immediate visit to the doctor is necessary.
Dog Saliva Bacteria
Bacteria present in dog saliva include;
• Capnocytophaga canimorsus
• Staphylococcus spp
• Porphyromonas spp
• Solobacterium spp
• Streptococcus spp
• Haemophilus spp
• Corynebacterium spp
• Cellulosimicrobium spp
• Campylobacter