Our dog licking our foster dog's wound.....advice? (clean, vet, breeder)
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We recently acquired a foster girl, with an eye infection, ear infection, and UTI. (This is the first time I have owned 2 dogs, and it took 2 weeks of slow interaction for our boy to accept the new foster girl).
When we first got her the eye was green with mucus, and she has been on antibiotics for almost 2 weeks now. Most of the green mucus is gone, but the third eye lid is very red - but not cherry eye. My boy has taken an interest in this eye and now licks it. She lays there and lets him. I don't know if he smells the infection and is drawn to lick it, if it's a form of affection or if it's a dominance thing.
I am actively discouraging him from doing it - just wondering if I could get opinions of why he is doing this. Thanks!
I wouldn't worry about it. Dogs lick their wounds...He is simply caring for her. Ask your Vet if the eye meds are hazardous to the licking dog....Found you a link...http://www.godsdirectcontact.org/eng/news/162/an3.htm
If you think about it, a dog (and we) eat food which has bacteria in it. It is the saliva in our mouths, our stomach acid, and our digestive systems which protect us from getting sick from eating many things.
Common sense would say that saliva licked onto a wound would kill or weaken a lot of bacteria. Also I have heard that a dog's saliva helps wounds heal...
BUT that is not very scientific! Following is more scientific information...
Our golden had ear problems and one of our dogs would "clean them" for her (yuck!). We had to keep her from doing that because it wasn't helping to keep her ears moist! LOL
Well, thanks all....I'm new to being a 2 dog owner, and haven't experience some of these behaviors before. The whole dominance thing is really throwing me for a loop. I was wondering if it was a way to dominate her. Since she was the new comer into the house we made a point to feed him first, let him walk through doors first, etc. He insists on drinking from the water bowl first, and will push her out, and now is walking through the doors first by himself. But when they play, he will allow her to pin him, and let her grab his throat - like she is going in for a kill. I know they will sort it out by themselves.....
Lets try that again "there is a reason they call them B 1 T C H E S" Funny the dog forum screens that word!
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