Dogs are loyal friends of humans, but sometimes their behavior can be unpredictable. From time to time we may read an unpleasant article in the news about a dog attacking a person or a child. So what should I do if suddenly this happened to me or a family member? The main thing is not to panic. You should always be conscious and ready for the development of any situation. The worst thing that can happen even with a small dog bite is contracting rabies or tetanus.
Rabies is a viral infection that leads to paralysis of the nervous system and death. Tetanus is an acute infectious disease that affects the nervous system and is fatal. Tetanus and rabies can only be prevented by vaccination. The U.S. Center for Disease Control notes that 59 thousand people die of rabies annually in the world. During the year in Ukraine, about 100-120 thousand people who go to the hospital for animal bites are treated. 60% of patients receive emergency care, including rabies vaccinations.
Human infection with rabies virus in 99% of cases occurs as a result of dog bites!!!
The statistics and mortality rates from infectious diseases are horrible, but that doesn’t mean that directly all bite victims should be vaccinated right away. So we’re going to take a look at what you should do in the event of a bite and what consequences you can expect.
What to do if bitten by a pet dog
The Pet is close to us, we know its medical history. Have information about how the Friend has behaved recently, whether his behavior was aggressive or incomprehensible. This data helps us respond appropriately to a bite. Even with a small scratch, we have to react.
What to do:
- Flush the wound with clean water. It is good if it is bottled water. If you are at home, use soap or antiseptic to wash it.
- Unpleasantly, if the wound is deep and bleeding, press a little on the wound to possibly clean the infected wound.
- Stop the bleeding with a cloth, ideally medical gauze.
- Apply an antibacterial agent to the wound (hydrogen peroxide).
- Now apply a bandage.
- Go to the hospital.
The doctor will help by assessing the bite site and taking into account informational factors about the dog. There are two options, depending on the condition of the dog:
- The dog has been vaccinated against rabies and has not shown any signs of inappropriate behavior – agitation or depressed, weakness, elevated body temperature, abrupt attitude to noise or light. In this case, it is possible to have your Pet’s blood drawn for rabies antibodies. If all is well with the dog, you will be fine. A bandage will be applied to the wound, a surgeon will be needed for deep wounds, but no vaccines or serums will be administered. What you will need to do next is follow up with your doctor and monitor your dog’s behavior.
- The dog has not had any vaccination manipulations. In this case there is a high probability of infection, you will be offered the first rabies vaccine and anti-rabies immunoglobulin. The anti-rabies immunoglobulin provides protection immediately, before the vaccine kicks in. As for vaccination, the rabies vaccine will be administered over a period of time. The first one on the day of contact, and the rest in sequence: 3-7-14-28 day. Since the incubation period of the virus is unpredictable – from 1 week to a year. And when the first signs of the disease appear: weakness, fever, headache, lethality from the disease is close to 100%.
It is possible to develop such a situation that your friend is all right with rabies vaccination, you did not prescribe anything. And then at home you notice strange signs: weakness, irritability, headache, muscle twitching in the area of the wound, numbness of the lower jaw. These are signs of tetanus! And if you have not been immunized against tetanus yourself or have not had booster shots according to the schedule, you will be injected with tetanus anatoxin.
It should be noted that if your pet shows signs of rabies, you must isolate the dog and notify your veterinarian! From this point on rabies is not curable. Unfortunately the animal will be put to sleep.
What to do if bitten by a street dog?
The procedure is the same as for a domestic dog bite – wash the wound with soap or hydrogen peroxide, apply a bandage and go to the hospital. There is no time to delay!!! Since the doctor cannot be sure if the dog was a carrier of dangerous viruses, you will definitely be prescribed a course of vaccinations. It would be a good idea to catch a street animal and observe it to see if it shows signs of rabies.
All animals can carry other non-lethal infections, which may cause redness of the bite site and fever. It is therefore necessary to seek medical attention again and clarify the situation.
A dog bite is serious
Dogs bring us joy and laughter, a sense of calm and security. However, there are unpleasant cases – like this dog bite. In this situation, it is absolutely necessary to seek medical help, because life can be in danger. Timely medical help and you are sure that everything will be fine!
