Dog bite: what to do (and possible illnesses)

After a dog bite, it is recommended to wash the bite site with running water and soap, press the wound with a compress or clean cloth to stop the bleeding and seek a hospital.

These precautions are important to avoid infection at the bite site, as these animals’ mouths normally contain bacteria and other microorganisms that can cause infections and serious illnesses, such as rabies. Check out what rabies is and its symptoms.

In addition to treating the wound, it is common for the doctor to also recommend the use of antibiotics, the tetanus and/or rabies vaccine in some cases, especially when the animal cannot be observed for a few days.

What to do

In case of a dog bite, you must:

1. Stop the bleedingusing a compress or clean cloth and applying light pressure to the area for a few minutes;
2. Wash the bite site with running water and soapeven if the wound is not bleeding, as it removes bacteria and viruses that can cause serious illnesses;
3. Go to the hospital with your vaccination reportas it may be necessary to repeat the tetanus vaccine and/or get the vaccine to prevent rabies.

Furthermore, after a dog bite, it is recommended to keep the animal under observation for 10 days, if possible, and, if the animal is domestic, take it to the veterinarian to find out if it is infected with rabies.

The vaccine against rabies, or anti-rabies, is normally indicated if it is not possible to observe the animal for a while, the animal already showed symptoms of rabies before the accident and if symptoms of rabies appear or the animal dies during the observation period. Know when to get the rabies vaccine.

Diseases caused by bite

The dog naturally has several microorganisms in its mouth, so after a bite it is possible for these infectious agents to be transmitted to the person, which could result in infection.

The main diseases that can be transmitted through dog bites are:

• Angeror hydrophobia, which is a disease transmitted by a virus that can be present in the dog’s saliva and that can affect the nervous system;
• Infection by Capnocytophaga canimorsuswhich is a bacteria that can be found in dog saliva and causes fever, vomiting, diarrhea, joint pain and the appearance of lesions around the bite,

Therefore, it is important that, after a dog bite, the person cleans the area and follows the doctor’s instructions to avoid complications, such as wound infection or the development of diseases.