Among the main benefits of living with a dog we find that they help us reduce stress, encourage us to play sports and improve our mood. To all this we have to add the healing properties of your saliva, which among other things, favors the prevention of allergies.
And is that some studies reveal that saliva of the dogs strengthens the immune system of the people who live with them. As shown by the one carried out by the bacteriologists of the University of Cúcuta Leslie Lozano Paba and María Baldissera in 2008, according to which they confirmed the presence of these properties.
Much more recent is the study by the University of Arizona, carried out this year, which affirms that the microbes present in the stomach of these animals can have a probiotic effect in our body, which are transmitted to us through saliva, in turn strengthening our bacterial flora.
In addition, the leader of the research, Dr. Charles Raison, affirms that far from the belief that dogs cause allergies, the truth is that they help fight them. Your saliva can combat discomfort like sneezing, itchy nose, and watery eyes.
This study includes a chemical analysis of canine saliva, which shows that it contains immune-type properties, antimicrobial and antifungal proteins. Therefore this liquid helps cure infections of the skin, as well as to reduce scars.
Despite all this, we must not let our dog lick our wounds, since his saliva not only contains disinfectant properties, but also some germs which can aggravate irritation. In addition, the humidity of the tongue slows down the healing process.
The reality is that there is still a lot to research on the healing capacity of dog saliva. Today there is no way to measure these benefits exactly, although it has been scientifically proven that its composition includes disinfectant substances.