ARE you one of dog-owners who loves getting kisses from your furry friend?
A discovery shared by a microbiologist might make you accept a few less dog licks to your face.
TikToker Nick Aicher revealed just how dirty the inside of a dog’s mouth really is why you shouldn’t let them lick your face.
The microbiologist has conducted tests for the past three months, growing bacteria cultures in a lab to show how dirty the world is, swabbing everything from vending machines to toilet brushes.
Sharing his findings on TikTok, the 27-year-old has racked up over 218,000 followers, with many asking how clean their pets really are.
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With many people kissing their dogs and receiving licks in return, Nick finally addressed the popular question in a video, which has over one million views.
“People say their mouth is cleaner than a person's so I figured I’d take a look,” Nick, from Chicago, US, told NeedToKnow.co.uk.
“I swabbed with a sterile tube and then incubated the results on TSA agar for 24 hours.
“It was dirty – I can’t say I’m surprised by the results as dogs tend to stick their faces in just about everything.
“I personally don’t like dogs licking me cause their breath smells pretty gross.”
In the video, Nick swabs his dog's nose, mouth, and finally paws.
Then he uses the sample to grow cultures in the hope of getting answers and sharing his results.
The results revealed that the mouth of the dog was dirtier than its paws, containing a huge amount of bacteria.
Although the bacteria hasn’t been identified, Nick highly recommends you don’t let your dog lick your face.
Nick commented in the video, saying “Good god, remember this when your dog licks you.”
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The clip has racked up 62,900 likes and hundreds of comments, with many dog lovers eager to disregard the microbiologist's findings.
Kayla commented: “Probably why I never get sick. Dog kisses and paws boostin my immune system!” [sic]
Jessica added: “I’m erasing this from my memory I’m getting those dog kisses dirty or not.” [sic]
“I don’t care. I have an adult immune system. I love smelling Frito paws! I feel fine getting kisses from our pups. Never get sick,” said Kelly.
“Do we know what bacteria? Could be completely harmless to us,” asked Kevin.
In another video, Nick compares the results to a cat, receiving 196,700 views and 13,000 likes.
The results showed the cat's paws and mouth to be significantly cleaner than the dog's, however, the nose was still riddled with bacteria.
“Proof that cats are just better and cleaner than dogs,” commented Caro.
Michelle said: “I think the cat is overall cleaner due to how often they bathe themselves vs dogs.” [sic]
