What is the purpose of dogs licking wounds with their tongues?

I believe many people have heard such a saying when they were still primary school students. Dogs will lick their wounds after being injured. Because dog saliva has a disinfecting effect, and humans cannot help dogs at any time to avoid being bitten by dogs and risking rabies. Of course, this was all the way adults used to fool children back then. After all, children won’t study too much to see if your answer is correct. But, as adults, we have to figure things out. Is it a good thing for a dog to lick his own wounds? If not, and dog saliva has no disinfecting effect, then why do dogs always lick themselves? Let us look at these issues one by one. Find the answers one by one.

Is it a good thing for dogs to lick their own wounds?

As early as 1990, zoologists had already conducted corresponding experiments. Studies have shown that dog saliva contains some substances that can inhibit the growth of bacteria. However, this substance will only have a certain impact on a very small number of bacteria, and the effect is very slight. Therefore, dog saliva has no effect on disinfecting dog wounds. For stray dogs, licking Licking the wound can only clean the wound and remove some dirt on the wound, but it has no effect at all on reducing inflammation. And for now, this role of dog saliva has been replaced by alcohol for humans. Therefore, it is not correct that dog saliva can disinfect and sterilize.

Will it be counterproductive for a dog to lick its own wounds?

Of course it will. First of all, the dog’s tongue itself is accompanied by a large number of bacteria. When they lick the wound, these bacteria are likely to adhere to the wound. This will eventually cause the dog’s wound to become infected, exacerbating the severity of the wound. The second problem is that although the dog’s behavior when licking the wound is not very rude, for the wound, its licking is enough to cause the wound to tear again. At the same time, repeated licking of the same place for a long time can cause damage to the dog’s skin, resulting in new wounds.

Why do dogs lick their own wounds?

This should be directly related to the environment in which dogs first lived in the wild. Dogs living in the wild do not have owners to provide them with necessary medical care. If it wants to deal with the wound, it has to rely on itself. Although the dog’s tongue has a lot of bacteria, this is also the best way. It is better to clean the wound with your tongue than to let the dirt in the wound rot naturally, causing the wound to become suppurative and inflamed. This is the best option when you have no choice. Because only by using the tongue to clean the wound can the dog survive, this method has been spread to this day and has even become the most common way to treat wounds in dogs.
In addition, when the dog licks its own wounds, it will feel pain, but it can’t help but do so. Just like when people have the urge to scratch after their wounds have scabbed over, people can have that kind of self-control, but dogs sometimes can’t control themselves. So sometimes, when a dog licks itself, it can be said to be looking for a kind of psychological comfort.

But today’s dogs are completely able to heal themselves without this method. When the owner finds something wrong with the dog, the pet owner will immediately take it to the hospital for medical treatment to provide the dog with complete medical conditions for treatment. Even if the dog licks itself again, it is just looking for comfort.

Therefore, to ensure proper wound management and disinfection, we should follow the advice of medical professionals. They will usually recommend treating the wound with a cleanser, antibacterial ointment, or other appropriate antiseptic measures. If infection or other complications are suspected, seek professional advice from your doctor immediately.
Finally, being close to a dog is a wonderful and enjoyable thing, but we also need to be cautious. Check your dog’s health and vaccination status regularly, and take them to the veterinarian regularly for checkups and cleanings. Also, be sure to keep the wound dry, clean, and take appropriate precautions, such as covering the wound with a band-aid or bandage.
All in all, although dog saliva contains some antibacterial properties, we should still be cautious about dog licking wounds. To ensure safe and proper wound care, it is best to follow the advice of your medical professional and practice proper disinfection. At the same time, close contact with dogs also requires caution, especially if there is a potential risk of infection.