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CAPE TOWN
(South Africa) —
Michael Bagraim has had an interesting history of near-breath
experiences. Three years ago, the
46-year-old Vredehoek man made headlines when he accidentally got
himself acquainted with the mouth of a Mozambican spitting cobra. He survived the snake bite only to find himself,
last month, in a similar crisis near the same spot. This
time, however, the spit was a lifesaver. After Mr. Bagraim fell
at Table Mountain and was knocked unconscious, his faithful dog
"Shelly" licked his face for 40 minutes until he was revived
and able to call for help on his cell phone, reports the Cape
Argus.1 "It was in the
morning," Mr. Bagraim told reporters. "I was walking
down the mountain when my concentration lapsed for some seconds, and I
slipped, then tripped myself and fell to the ground." The
fall badly shattered his left ankle.
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"Every time a bell rings...
...a dog gets a mouthful of drool," according to Pavlov.
A slobbery pooch licked a man's face for 40 minutes and brought him
"back to life" after a serious injury rendered him
unconscious. As the holidays approach, it's good to be reminded
that guardian angels aren't just in the movies. Click on "Sambi"
(above) to see the dogs at the Cape
Town SPCA!
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"When I finally regained consciousness the dog was licking
me, and my face was wet as a result," he said, praising his
pooch for bringing him back to consciousness. Shelly the dog had joined
the Bagraim family a year ago when they rescued her from
abandonment. "Maybe it was payback time," commented
Patsy, Mr. Bagraim's wife. After coming to, Mr. Bagraim phoned
family members who alerted the hospital and came to pick up the
injured man lying just below Tafelberg Road. But then they ran into
another problem: Shelly
wouldn't let anyone touch him.
"My dad tried to drag the dog away, but the dog resisted until my
wife arrived," Mr. Bagraim said.
Only after Patsy arrived did the "dogtor" release her patient to the care of
the Cape Town Medi-Clinic where the man spent five days recuperating.
After Mr. Bagraim was released, Shelly reportedly went right back to licking his
bandaged foot.
Many breeds commonly use their dog saliva as a common remedy for
wounds, infections and injuries. Shelly's breed was not
specified ...but it may be
safe to say that she's got some Spitz in her.
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Does dog saliva possess
magical healing properties? |
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a 1990 study done at the University of California, Davis,
researchers found that dog saliva killed E. coli and Streptococcus
canis, another harmful bacteria.
In another study (1995, Fairbanks, Alsaka), students swabbed
spit samples from 102 drooling dogs and concluded that the samples
inhibited the growth of certain bacteria, especially on nose
mucous bacteria. But they also found many types of bacteria
in the dog saliva itself. They concluded perhaps dog saliva
is not the next wonder drug.2
Still, DogsInTheNews.com has found evidence over the
years that slobbery dog kisses can cure cancer,
deadly bee stings
and blindness, among
other ailments. Just remember that, the next time your pooch
offers you a hearty lick. |
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