Dog at playground licked my 13mth son on mouth - should i be worried?!

i'm not sure if i'm being the paranoid first time mum here, but i was just wondering if i should be worried about a dog licking my son in the mouth....

i was at the playground today and my 13mth old son was on the ground playing with the woodchips near me. a puppy (jack russell) ran over (no leash on) and jumped on my son and licked him for a good 4 seconds or so directly on his open mouth before i could get to him and pick him up. the dog's owner was there, but it happened so fast that i didnt think to ask him whether the dog has been wormed or had its injections, etc.

is this something i need to worry about? or am i being silly?!

thanks!

Hi leanne - i don't think you are being silly but I also don't think you have anything to worry about. Other than it being disgusting I think your son will be fine. Kids put (or will put) so much stuff in their mouth that a bit of dog saliva is probably the least to worry about. Hope this helps.

I don't think there are a great deal of serious ailments that you need to be worried about that can be transferred from dog to human.

I am sure you aren't the only parent who would feel unnerved by such an encounter... :)

Tanya

No need to worry...
Dogs saliva is used in some Countries like an atiseptic & when cuts or infected wounds occur they get a dog to lick it...

Our DD#2 lays down & licks the dog as the dog licks her, might not be the best but germs build up antibodies to bugs, so we just let them go...
They share lollypops & icecreams..

thanks to all! i feel much better now. although i do wish dog owners would use leashes at children's playgrounds!! this time it was a lick, next time a bite.... who knows

(see - paranoid Mum coming out again!) :)

I don't think there is anything to worry about. In actual fact, there is probably more germs etc in the bark chips.

I dont blame you for feeling grossed out. I too wouldnt like it if any animal would lick Josh on the mouth...eeekkkk! But i am sure there would be nothing that bub would have caught, i guess it is just one of those things.

My ex MIL who is a highly educated nurse told me that a dog's mouth has far less germs in it than a human's one so a dog is more likely to catch something off a human than the other way around.

When we took our new puppy into school to show my class the dog caught ringworm off one of the kids LOL so I think your bub is safe but I agree it would gross me out too.

Tracey-LOL, Eden and one of our puppies do that too- in fact Eden now opens her mouth when Gazzy comes towards her, and she is fast learning to keep a close eye on her arrowroot or it becomes puppy property...
Satya- ive heard that too- dogs have far less germs in their mouths than us....
But its not silly to question these things, knowing everything that pops up as a first time mummy, or 2nd/3rd etc is impossible... plus you are just looking out for your bub.
xoox

Alexa is another that shares toys & food with dogs LOL....

I dont worry about it.. I figure she will eat more germs & stuff from eating dirt!!!... SHe has also eaten a spider & a moth... that I know of...

Think of it as immunity building LOL!!!

My brother used to eat the dog food!
DS managed to eat our dog's food once before I started picking her bowl up and I only did that because my FIL was so grossed out and wouldn't stop pest.ering me about it. Our dog "kisses" DS at least once a day and he loves it and giggles and really enjoys the attention.
Having said all that - I would probably feel a little differently about someone else's dog so the question isn't silly at all.

Should be fine, but if you really concerned, all the Maternal Health line. My dog lickys my DS, but I know her shots are up to date etc.

Hi! I was watching that Huggies show "Mums & Bubs" recently where Katrina Warren (vet) said that if a dog or cat is wormed & is basically a house pet then they don't have anything that a baby/child can catch. :)

My dog has 'kissed' my DS quite a few times (not that she's 'allowed to', she just does it) and he's survived so far. ;) I've seen parents who let their dogs 'kiss' their babies from very early on (3 or 4 months old) without any problems either so I think you should be pretty right. :)

If it was a festy dog then maybe you should worry but otherwise all should be fine. :)

Your son should be fine, however just incase of worms, i would get some "combrantrim" i think its called from the chemist for kids/babies... it's like a little chocolate square so he'll think it's a lolly anyway... that treats worms... one of those will treat him and destroy the worms if he has got one... and if he doesnt then it won't hurt to take it anyway. speak to your chemist.

Phew I was wondering if it was alright too, Cherry Pie is always licking Noah when I am not watching, a far cry from when we brought him home and she snapped at him :S

Satya, are you sure about that???? I can't remember the last time I cleaned my backside with my tongue. Commonly referred to in our household as "Toilet Paper Tongue". I can understand the concern, but I'm sure your son will be fine. I wouldn't let him take it up as a hobby though.

I agree with Renstar....... I instantly thought Combantrin.

lestypuss, I am almost certain it's true (what Satya wrote)..
In many countries dog saliva is used as an antiseptic...

i wonder if a 13mth old can have Combantrin? i should ask the chemist....

our dog loves giving our son a good licking too, but her worms and shots are up to date - its just other dogs i worry about!

I'm not sure that the worms dogs can have transfer to humans much at all, and if they do, it would only be through their poo, not through their tongues. So I don't think you need to worry about worming unless he was playing in a pile of dog poop!

I would be more concerned that owners have their dogs off the leash when they can't be controlled, in case they bite a child. Unless it's an off-leash park, dogs should always be leashed. We have two and they are only ever off the leash where they're supposed to be (except for when one of them has gone for a walk on his own... but that's another story). I am especially careful of them around children, not that they are at all likely to bite, but I don't think it's good to encourage children to play with strange dogs (because one day one might bite). I intend to teach Lucy the same thing.