What Happens If A Dog Licks Human Blood? Can Dogs Get Sick?

Cuts and wounds are inevitable in our lives. While carrying on with our everyday life, we face many injuries, big and small. Blood will be shed, and pain and cries will sometimes last for days, weeks, or even months. But, if your pet dog was around, you might not be surprised to see him licking some fresh drops of blood. 

But what happens if a dog licks human blood? Up and foremost, your pet will get the taste of human blood. But you do not need to worry because there are only a handful of human-blood-borne diseases that could also get transmitted to dogs. But, it’s advisable not to let your dog taste human blood continuously.

That’s from the dog’s side. But if the dog keeps licking your wounds to try and get more blood in his taste buds, you could get irritated and infected.

It could even slow down the healing process due to the continuous reopening of the gash.

Why Does My Dog Like Licking My Blood? 

Dogs are instinctive animals. They are attracted to blood and meaty smells. So naturally, if your pet ever got a whiff of fresh blood, the blood drops will vanish into his tummy without thinking twice. 

While we’re busy going through our day-to-day work at home or garden, generally, we get a cut or two. And when it does, we won’t have anything on our minds other than having the wound cleaned and antiseptics applied.

On our way to find the medicine cabinet, we forgot to clean out the tiny droplets of blood we trailed on the floor. But not to worry, you won’t even know you dropped some blood when you’re back. 

Why? Your doggo will have them cleaned in seconds after he gets the scent of fresh blood.

Although you failed to notice it that time, you’ll catch your traitor in his act one day. And that’s when you start thinking, “oh my god! What happens if a dog licks human blood?” 

Now, don’t panic. As I pointed out earlier, dogs get attracted to blood like a needle to a magnet. That’s automatic.

A few droplets of blood won’t do any harm to your canine, while you cannot say the same if you let him ingest a large amount of blood. 

An unnecessarily bloody meal could cause gastrointestinal problems such as diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, and bloating, even if it’s not human blood.

Moreover, don’t be surprised, but your pet loves your period blood too! (if you’re a momma dog parent). 

These natural scavengers are always looking for some bloody smell like this pungent whiff of periods.

Unlike fresh blood from cuts and wounds, you can’t apply the same theory to this old, almost rotten blood.

In your sanitary pads and tampons, there could be thriving germs and bacteria that could affect the dog’s health. Therefore, you must dispose of them in a way your pets can’t reach.

What Happens When A Dog Drinks Or Licks Human Blood? 

Once again, only a few diseases in human blood could transmit to a doggo. Yet, even though the blood does contain harmful agents that carry disease, dogs don’t get infected that easily.

Therefore, if you’re worried about what happens if a dog licks human blood, you have nothing to worry about. 

You must be highly concerned if the doggo licked another canine’s gore other than humans. Because if that blood contained any harmful pathogens, it could effectively attack your doggo’s health. 

But, there could be unfortunate and unforeseen events where your dog ingests a lot of blood. At a time like that, he might get diseases such as gastroenteritis and other related illnesses like diarrhea, vomiting, etc., which is very rare.

But since we’re talking about the worst possibilities, let’s explore it further. 

Suppose you’re concerned about the pet’s health after he drank an unacceptable amount of blood.

Most of the time, there won’t be any reaction confirming health risks. But, it’s better to keep an eye on your fluffy boy for at least 24 hours. 

Additionally, there’s a saying that when dogs get the taste of human blood; they become thirsty for more. Especially when a dog grabs a firm hold of someone’s poor limb and won’t let go. 

The dog’s jaw indeed locks shut when he attacks someone and bites them. But suddenly, after that, they don’t become monsters who are thirsty for human blood.

Yet, rarely could some dogs attack other humans and animals to get the taste of gore after the first incident. But, for that, too, the dog should first get a good taste of human blood over a long period. 

Do Dogs Like Human Blood? 

We all know that since their origin, dogs have been scavengers. Dogs love meaty blood and other pungent smells like any other food-driven animal.

They won’t hold back on running and sinking their teeth onto anything that smells bloody. Therefore, they will lick and drink blood regardless of where it came from, especially period blood. 

These don’t smell the same as normal fresh blood, and we see them as something to throw away as soon as we remove sanitary pads and tampons. But for a dog, this foul, pungent smell is appealing and appetising.

And if your pet day ever gets a hold of something with this bodily fluid, they’ll rip it apart to find something to eat. So, once again, if you own a canine, be careful how you dispose of your napkins.

Can Dogs Get Diseases From Human Blood? 

This is another side you’ll consider when researching what happens if a dog licks human blood. The answer to this can dog get diseases from human blood is “yes.” 

But it’s pretty rare. Some diseases you could transmit to your pet through blood are tuberculosis, salmonella, roundworms, and methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), but I once again stress this point. You should not panic about what happens if a dog licks human blood. 

Because, even though there could be millions of blood-borne parasites in your blood, there’s only a very slight chance that your pet will get infected.

Because as soon as your doggo’s tongue comes in contact with the blood, the anti-bacterial agents in saliva will start working on destroying the infectious microorganisms. 

As I said before, you must worry if the pet licks another animal’s blood and not about what happens if a dog licks human blood.

But do not let your dog unnecessarily digest human blood often. That might give your dog a sense that this blood is a snack and he should hunt for it.

I hope you found this article helpful. Stay tuned with Jack Russell Owner for more interesting posts about our four-legged furry friends. Cheers!!