Dog Saliva

[natv]

Quick question - so I read that dog saliva can be toxic (ie - if a dog bites a bird)

What about licking? I have a lab, he's not a biter and of course we'd never leave him unattended with Kiwi , but say he licks Kiwi's toys, or even sneaks a lick at Kiwi at some point?

Should we be concerned about something like that?

Thanks
Nathalie

 

[ruffledfeathers]

This is my issue too. I think we need to keep the birds away from dog saliva as much as possible. However that being said, through the years it has happened and my birds have been fine. (Georgie used to play on the floor with the dog and his ball too, when i didn't realize that dog saliva was 'bad'.) I just make a large effort to keep the dog saliva away from them for safety's sake.

 

[weco]

Dog saliva, in some 60% of dogs, does carry Pasturella like that of cats, but there are other bacteria in a dog's mouth that will cause septicemia in birds. A dog's mouth also carries capnocytophaga, a bacteria found in normally healthy dogs & cats...this bacteria has caused the amputation of hands and feet of a Georgia woman in 2012.

A 2001 study by Vanderbilt University reported : "A Form Of Strep Bacteria Killed After Coming In Contact With Dog Saliva." Now, while this may be true, remember that both Fido & Tabby, before using their tongue as a washcloth for your face, used it as Charmin (North American brand of toilet paper) for themselves.

Although these various bacteria can be deadly to our feathered friends, they normally require a doorway into the body.....cat/dog scratch, cut, bleeding feather follicle, even a bird breaking its own skin with exuberant scratching (it doesn't have to bleed to open the door).

Some bacteria may be slower acting than others, but a bird infected with Pasturella bacteria will require a specific antibiotic injection (no self-medicating broad spectrum antibiotic) within 24 hours.

 

[94lt1]

What weco said... but a bird can scratch itself and the bacteria can get in that way... IMHO its best to keep your feathered friends away from dog and cat saliva...

You wouldn't let your dog play with a rattlesnake would you??? Just my two cents.

 

[weco]

For anyone who may be interested in some in-depth data on the topic of cat & dog saliva, I just posted a response to a year old post that had a member's response, to the effect that they didn't believe the danger to be significant.

It's long & I'm sure controversial for some, so maybe I stuck my neck out too far.....I have been kicked off of a couple of other parrot groups because I didn't agree with what they were proffering their followers, but when I do something like this, I try to have sufficient supporting data.