Why do dogs lick their wounds?
Dogs including animals like cats, chimpanzees, rodents etc. don't have access to a proper medical treatment.
Hence, a little licking helps to heal and clean the wound.
What?
But how?
When dogs lick, they apply saliva on their wounds.
This saliva has antiviral and antibacterial compounds like an enzyme called lysozyme.
Lysozyme destroys cell walls of certain bacteria and helps kill them, thus preventing infection.
The saliva also contains a protein called tissue factor which promotes blood clotting and thus, stops bleeding.
Besides this, licking also removes dirt from the wound.
So, dogs should always lick their wounds.
No.
Excess licking is not beneficial.
This is because a dog's saliva can also contain harmful pathogens.
They could aggravate the wound and make it more painful.
Hence, now a days, dogs are made to wear an Elizabethan collar to prevent them from licking.