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What should I do to avoid dog germs at my Mother-in-law's house?

My mother in-law treats her dog like royalty. Last time we visited, she had to shoo the dog away from the turkey, which fido was LICKING! She served the turkey anyway, which nobody ate. Now I don't want to eat anything at her house. What should I do?
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ddavis
ddavis
Marked as Best! October 09, 2009 05:08 PM
Wow. That's really horrible, and I understand how grossed out everyone must have been. I've known people who gave their dogs bites of food off their own forks during dinner, but they didn't let the dogs get into everyone else's food.
If I were you I would explain to her that you don't want to eat after her dog, and ask her to please try harder to keep the dog away from the food. Tell her that you understand that it doesn't bother her and might seem like you're making a big deal out of nothing, but it does bother other people, so you'll all be able to better enjoy the food she cooks if you know it's dog-free. Surely she noticed that no one ate the turkey, so hopefully she'll get control of the dog if only to make sure her work doesn't go to waste.
If that fails, you could just bring a PBJ in your pocket.
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bcarlson15...
bcarlson15...
October 09, 2009 04:53 PM
First, you're unlikely to be harmed by the dog's germs. I understand, though, how you might find it disgusting. The only way you are going to change her behavior is just to tell her (kindly) that you're not a dog person and dog germs bother you. But truthfully, unless you have an immune-deficiency disorder, you really don't need to "protect" yourself from dog germs. Your healthy immune system is enough. A dog being treated like royalty is highly unlikely to be ill or exposed to anything outside that is germ-filled.

Source(s):
Dog owner for 40 years, Internet research, talking to veterinarians.
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pjmom23
pjmom23
October 09, 2009 05:04 PM
I disagree that you are unlikely to be harmed by the dog's germs. Dog will eat anything depending upon the breed. I have seen dogs grab rats, squirrels, and birds (which might have bird flu) with their bare teeth! Dogs eat other animals poop! We all know that poop is a way for worms and other such bacteria and pests to piggy back into the body. That's why most vets recommend a monthly pill for dogs called a de-wormer! My suggestion is this. Ask your mother-in-law to please put the dog into a special room or cage/travel kennel while the food preparation and dining happens. Tell her that after everyone eats that you would feel more than happy to visit with her beloved dog, but that you would like to be able to visit and eat at the same time! Remind her of the time that the dog licked the turkey and no one ate it. Honesty might hurt her feelings, but if she is a good hostess, she will get over her feelings, and realize that she wants everyone who is visiting her to want to visit her again!
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samid
samid
October 09, 2009 05:18 PM
First of all, not all dogs eat poop. This is a problem with a nutrient deficient dogs. There is a nutrient in poop they crave because they aren't getting it in their normal diet. Secondly, it's the mother-in-law's home and asking her to put the dog away is disrespectful.

The following is copied and pasted from an ABC News article...

"Go Ahead, Give Them a Kiss
If you want to give your pooch a kiss, it may be safer than kissing another human.

Becker says many of the bacteria in the mouth of a dog are species specific, so it won't harm its owner.

"So a staph or a strep for a human is not transmissible to a dog, if you were to kiss it, and vice versa," said Becker"
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shewolfsil...
shewolfsil...
October 09, 2009 05:09 PM
The saying "Dogs have cleaner mouths than a human" is defintely not true. But many of the bacteria in their mouths are species specific, so you're more likely to catch something from kissing another person than kissing your dog.

http://abcnews.go.com/2020/Health/story?id=1213870

I can see where you would find it a tad bit icky. I treat my dogs like royalty but they have their food and I have mine.
Source(s):
http://abcnews.go.com/2020/Health/story?id=1213870
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samid
samid
October 09, 2009 05:11 PM
I'm not condoning her allowing the dog to lick the turkey. That's quite a faux pas and would definitely be a turn off to most people, but do keep in mind that dogs aren't as dirty as you think they are. However, I can see where you would want to do something differently. My advice is to offer to take everyone out to eat or, if you are worried about Thanksgiving in particular, offer to help her cook dinner. That way you can go in and clean all her countertops with disinfectant as a kindly way of "helping her" get ready to cook AND secretly keep an eye on what happens to the food. As for the dog, do not in any way try to discipline the dog yourself, as that will anger her quite a bit.

Also keep in mind that scientists are finding we are living in a world that is a little too sanitary, which is preventing us from being exposed to germs and building our immune systems against germs, so when we do run across germs we are more likely to be effected by them. Seriously, a little dirt never hurt anyone.
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