Humans are bitten by domestic animals comprising of dogs and cats more than their wild counterparts. Dog bites constitute a large majority than all other animal bites. Every year, around 4.45 million people are bitten by dogs. The most vulnerable lots in this group would be kids of age ranging from 5 to 9. Quite shockingly, the majority of these animal attacks are unprovoked.
In about 1 % of these dog bite cases, the victim of the attack gets infected in the course of the bite. At times, dogs bite on the hands and fingers of people where it is more prone to infections. When the tooth of the dog gets penetrated to your flesh, the microbe living on the victim’s body or bacteria from the animal’s tooth gets embedded in your flesh. Finally, it would result in swelling and inflammation, once the existing bacteria gets spread.
A potential infection does not arise only due to this penetration, buts its scrapes, puncture wounds, lacerations and teeth grazing the skin. Among these prime reasons, the riskiest cause is of the puncture wounds as they are quite harder to clean and further disinfect. Moreover, the bacteria very effortlessly get trapped in the interiors of the wound.
Symptoms of Infection
An infection embodies a varied kind of signs such as red streaks, pain and swelling, a loss of sensation around the dog bite, fatigue, oozing fluid, breathing difficulties, tenderness around the area of the bite and muscle weakness. The infection caused may augment into a grave condition like tetanus.
Major causes of Infection
An infection can be caused by a wide range of bacteria. Rabies can also be transmitted in the rarest cases, during a scratch, dog bite or puncture. Meanwhile, in yet other cases, some polymicrobial bacteria such as Streptococcus, Pasteurella, Capnocytophagacanimorsus and Staphylococcus might become the prime reason. If you really believe that the bitten dog was absolutely up-to-date on its shots, there won’t be much danger even if treatment is delayed.
Medication for the Infection
Clean the area where the dog is bitten as soon as possible. Still, if you feel certain above-mentioned symptoms or if the bleeding is not stopping, then apply a sterilized bandage to the wound and change them frequently. Try to stop the bleeding with a clean cloth or towel and retain that injured portion elevated. To avoid further spreading of the bacteria, you may apply any good antibiotic ointment on a daily basis.
You may also get immediate medical treatment if the wounds are big and there are clear symptoms of infections. You will be able to get your medical expenses covered by reporting the issue. The owner of the pet will be made liable for the bite if the dog wasn’t provoked. If you believe that you have a dog bite claim, seek legal help to ease the process.