To think letting a dog lick your baby is a bit gross?

[muffinflop]

Just back from MIL's where I watched the dog lick his bum clean, lick 8 month old niece's hands and then my niece put her hands in her mouth and rub her tired eyes! I informed SIL what I'd just seen and she said I was fussing over nothing! Made my stomach churn but am I being unreasonably 'fussy'?!

[mree]

Ew! YANBU, that's just gross!

[messymammy]

ewww.YADDDDDDNBU

[DooinMeCleanin]

Dogs actually have very clean tongues. Not germy at all even though they lick their bums, saying that I wouldn't allow it because I can't stand my dogs getting up in my face. They know not to do it, but Whippy still trys occassionally as everyone else lets her [boak]

[GingerWrath]

I wouldn't deliberately let it happen, but when DD was tiny we had 2 large dogs, she thought it was hilariously funny to LET them lick her, also when she started crawling, even if I had hoovered not 10 min ago, she would find a handful of dog hair and shove it straight in her mouth.

Now she is a robust child who is very rarely ill, I think having 'those horrible dirty' dogs around helped her build a good immune system!

[DooinMeCleanin]

@ mofo.

[PIMSoclock]

Dogs have clean tongues!?! What a load of dog pooh!!
Dog mouths (and human mouths) carry all sorts of harmful bacteria. It is a particularly dangerous type of bacteria as it can grow without oxygen!
If their saliva gets in a cut the digestive enzymes will break it down further then the bacteria can cause a nasty infection!!!
Wash those children immediately!!

[jenrendo]

I have a dog and he isn't alowed to like anyone, anywhere. I think it's minging! I'm all for DS having a healthy immune system but the dog eats all sorts of fox, horse and cow shit, rank dead seal and rotten fish when out for walks. The smellier the better! Yuk!

[RevoltingPeasant]

It is a bit grim, and I normally wash my own hands if DD (dear dog ) has been licking me, but you know, at some point they're going to hug a stranger's Labrador in the park, or find the neighbour's cat poo on your lawn, or whatever.

And I'll bet they don't get ill as much when they're older, either....

[RevoltingPeasant]

How do you stop him liking people jenrendo? 'Bad dog, NO tail wagging!!' :)

[GingerWrath]

Bit late for me to wash my DD now PIMS, our last dog died 2 years ago and it seems to have had no real affect on my nearly 5yo (should I panic, can those 'oxygenless bacteria survive 2 years?!)

[PIMSoclock]

5 years is a blink in the eye of oxygenless bacteria!!! The child must be sterilised and scanned from head to toe at once!!!
I'll call Kim and aggy, u call the team from holby city. Deep breaths, we will get through this!!!

[Pumpernickel10]

Actually dogs have antisceptic tongues the vet told me that

[microserf]

I'm sorry, but that's disgusting. Not so much from the germ point of view (I suspect your niece will have one amazing immune system later), but just generally a bit manky.

[PIMSoclock]

Did ur vet tell you that as her charged £200 for your consultation?
Such an honest person, am sure his word is gospel!!

[EggyAllenPoe]

YANBU the dog might get v.sick from that.

[GingerWrath]

PIMS shuffles off to fetch TCP and a wire brush, 'come here DD, it's for your own good!'

[ddubsgirl]

my dog loves to lick my feet,so does my friends dog,she will claw and chew at my laces till i take my trainers off,hasnt made me ill.

[MoreBeta]

Do not let a dog lick your childs face or hands and make sure they wash their hands after handling a dog. Toxocariasis is a serious condition that can blind a child.

[TheCountessOlenska]

I don't like it but have learned to live with it since we moved in with my mother and dog.

I catch the baby and the dog licking each other, nose rubbing and sharing food all the time. I have made my peace with it (it is that or get off mumsnet and actually parent my child )

[megapixels]

Oh right. When I saw the title and then the words "Just back from MIL's where I watched the dog lick his bum clean " I thought you meant that the dog licked the baby's bum clean.

[relieved]

[Pumpernickel10]

Your probably right pim as my vets fecking dick Turpin!
I wasn't saying it was true just saying what I was told :)
We've always had dogs and I don't like them licking DD if it happens she needs to wash immediately

[PIMSoclock]

With a metal brush and tcp for added value
We should bring back TCP baths for children licked by dogs! We must start a campaign, it's the only responsible thing to do...........!!!!!!!!

[GingerWrath]

pims TCP a wirebrush and once they are totally decontaminated they are to be interred in a germ free plastic bubble til they turn 18!

[GrimmaTheNome]

Aren't there places where a puppy is raised with a baby expressly for the purpose of bum-cleaning? If you don't have Andrex, the puppy is probably a lot more more hygenic than nowt.

But, in all seriousness - its a bit gross, probably won't be a problem but do check that your MIL worms her dog at least every other month.