The Many Health Benefits of Your Pet’s Bacteria

A growing body of evidence is finding a microbial advantage to owning pets, especially in childhood, adding to other health benefits of animals.

Dogs and other animals trade microbes with the people living in their homes. Shutterstock

Dogs harbor more than 600 different bacteria in their mouths alone, making every lick and slobber a potential human health risk.

Just like humans, pets have a microbiome—communities of bacteria, fungi, and viruses—not only in their mouths, but also on their skin and in their stool. Although only 16.4 percent of dogs’ oral bacteria are also found in humans, it’s apparent that we swap microbial critters with them just like we do with members of our family.

In Favor of Pets

Nearly 45 percent of U.S. households have a dog, and 25 percent have a cat, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association.