Treatments for a person bitten by a dog
Dogs are predators that attack with strong sharp teeth that can deliver up to 450 pounds of pressure per square inch. A dog’s needle sharp teeth and very strong jaws can create deep puncture wounds or tear the flesh away. A dog’s teeth and jaws are very powerful so that if the teeth has latched on a limb and cause serious injuries, the victim’s mobility can be impaired for life. A serious dog bite can even kill a person. Wounds are not the only concerns of dog bite victims because when the teeth puncture the flesh infection and disease-causing bacteria are injected on the puncture wounds as well. One of the life threatening consequences of dog bite is rabies.
Because of humans’ constant interaction with dogs, dog bites cannot be totally prevented. Children and dogs form a close bond but children are the ones commonly bitten by their own dogs. What do you do to treat a dog bite?
First aid must be administered on dog bite wounds to prevent infection but treatment must not be started until the dog is removed to prevent further attacks. Dog bites can create two types of wounds – deep puncture wounds and lacerations. Because bacteria is injected when the dog sinks the teeth to the flesh, it is common for puncture wounds to get infected. Lacerations occur when the dog’s teeth tear away the skin.
Puncture wounds normally don’t bleed profusely thus the wound has to be allowed to bleed for a few minutes to flush out the bacteria from the wound. Lacerations commonly bleed profusely. Bleeding has to be stemmed by applying direct pressure on the wound. Both types of dog bites must be thoroughly cleaned to prevent infection.
Serious skin lacerations resulting from dog bites cannot be treated at home as the wound normally needs to be sutured however, thorough cleaning of the dog bite would still be necessary so as not to give the bacteria a chance to cause infection. The risk of infection can be minimized by washing the bite wound with an antibacterial soap for about five minutes. Before covering the bite wound with sterile gauze, apply a generous amount of antibiotic ointment. A dog bite victim will be in pain. The pain that is mostly caused by the swelling will be minimized with an application of ice compress on the bite wound.
Rabies is a potential health risk that will devastate dog bite victims particularly if it is impossible to verify whether the dog has had rabies vaccination. A person bitten by a stray dog must have to undergo a series of injections that constitute rabies therapy .
