Dog kisses can be life-threatening: Three groups of people are particularly at risk

Created: 07/26/2022, 08:30

By: Jasmine Farah

Do you give dogs a kiss?

Many owners are just too fond of their four-legged friends.

In Bremen, this has now become a man's undoing.

Stroking, cuddling, snuggling: pets are a great enrichment in life for many of their owners.

Several studies have shown that dogs, cats and the like make us happy.

Accordingly, they should even be able to help with mental illnesses such as depression.

That's no coincidence: Dogs in particular have been considered man's best friend for thousands of years.

They are our most loyal companion and love their owners unconditionally.

They also like to show that by giving us little kisses or wanting to lick us if we get too close with our faces.

Many dog ​​owners are touched by the gesture and willingly endure it.

For others, on the other hand, this is part of good manners every day.

But that should be reconsidered in the future.

Dog kisses can be life-threatening

As early as 2019 it became known that a man from Bremen died after cuddling his four-legged friend.

But how did that happen?

Allegedly, an infection was fatal to him.

According to this, doctors are said to have discovered the bacterium Capnocythophaga canimorsus in the blood of the 63-year-old.

According to the Red Cross Hospital (RKK), the rod-shaped bacterium is normally found in the mouths of dogs and cats, more precisely in their saliva.

Under certain conditions, it can cause serious diseases in humans.

Anyone who kisses their dog more often should reconsider.

© YAY Images/Imago

The Bremen man is said to have been hospitalized due to signs of severe blood poisoning, reports the

.

Two weeks later he finally died of multiple organ failure, write the doctors in the

.

Treatment with antibiotics had not worked.

The man is said to have been licked by his dog beforehand, but not bitten, it is said.

In addition, the man did not have a weakened immune system.

Dog kisses can be life-threatening: Report strange symptoms

However, it is rare for this love gesture to end fatally, the RKK gives the all-clear.

Accordingly, only one other case should be known worldwide that ended like this.

So was it just a tragic coincidence?

In general, pet owners should exercise caution.

Most people know that you can become infected with pathogens through an animal bite, but not through licking.

Infection eventually occurs when the latter are able to penetrate small skin defects.

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However, the doctors cannot explain why the healthy man developed such a severe course.

This usually only happens if other risk factors are already present, explains Martin Langenbeck, chief physician of the emergency room at the RKK, such as:

• A chronic illness

• alcoholism

• spleen removal

It is therefore also difficult for doctors to prohibit pet owners from cuddling with their darlings.

But: "But if you get symptoms that are very strange and you have a pet, then you should tell the doctor about it," concludes an RKK spokeswoman.