Dog Bite's can be Traumatic
Dog Bite's can be Traumatic
A dog bite is traumatic at any level. Most dog bites happen to children between the ages of 5 and 9 years. Children at this age can be tough on dog ears and tails by pulling them, riding on the dog, or teasing the animal. As an adult, you must watch and monitor both dog and child. Encourage the child and dog to be kind and gentle to one another. We know that there are over 70 million dogs in the United States that inflict almost a million bites annually which need medical attention.
If you have a dog that has bitten someone, this is a major problem-just one report can get a dog put away, depending on the circumstances. A second report will almost always result in the dog being taken away from you almost regardless of the terms and conditions. This does not mean the dog will be placed in another home to bite someone else; sadly it usually results in the end of the dog's life.
There has been a substantial move to eliminate Pit Bulls from the continental United States. They are the breeds which mostly cause the 10 to 20 deaths per year from dog bites. Yes, we have all known a few nice Pit Bulls. However, they can suddenly turn very territorial or aggressive for no apparent reason. The object here is not to target only Pit Bulls, despite their general personality traits and massive destructive potential. But they are a point of reference for the most severe of dog bites. An adult Pit Bull can bite down with 450 lbs. per square inch of force, crushing skin, bone, and everything in between. They can crush a small child's skull. The Chow breed, especially in hot weather, can be unexpectantly irritable and unhappy.
So, back to dog bites. "FiFi", the toy poodle, with her sharp, pointy cat-like teeth can put a pretty good bite on you. The biggest problem with dog bites is that once you get past crushing tissue destruction from larger dogs, is infection. There are over 60 species of bacteria that can live in a dog's mouth. All it takes is one or several of these bacteria to be inoculated into human tissue, especially the hand, and severe infections can quickly begin. This is especially true if the bitten victim is a diabetic or is immuno-compromised by chronic illness. There are a lot of spaces in the hand where there is less blood flow, and these are ideal set-ups for a serious infection. Suddenly, the person has to be admitted to the hospital for IV antibiotics and a surgeon needs to be consulted. The wound then needs to be opened, irrigated and drained. Things could take a down-turn and maybe a skin graft will be required in a really serious case. Then there is the prolonged recovery time and maybe even physical therapy to try and regain full use of the bitten area. This is a worst case scenario, but demonstrates the possible stages of a dog bite.
Other things have to be considered, as well. Most municipalities require a detailed "bite report" to assess the risk of rabies. Was the animal acting strangely? Was the attack "provoked" or "unprovoked"? Was it a playful "nip" or an aggressive bite? Is the animal available for quarantine observation? An animal who can't be located after a bite incident, and who acted in an unprovoked manner, would probably lead to the patient's having to undergo the full rabies series since it is unknown if the dog is up to date on his dog vaccinations. If you get rabies, you've essentially "bought the farm". Another issue is Tetanus status. If the patient has not had a tetanus booster in the past 5 years, he would need one or the whole series if it had never been accomplished.
Clean the wound out with soap and water if it is only skin deep. Make sure the animal has current vaccinations against rabies. If the wound is more than skin deep, see your doctor right away. The doctor may need to do a more extensive cleaning with an antibacterial such as iodine soap. He or she will also want to check your tetanus status, and prescribe an antibiotic pill or shot. Severe infection could require surgery and I.V. antibiotics. The sooner the bite is seen by a physician and proper care is started, the better and easier the care will be. Don't wait. Plan to see your doctor in follow-up every couple of days until the wound is totally healed. Go ahead and call Animal Control to report your bite. Not only is it for your protection, but its part of being a good citizen to report a biting animal. Finally, take steps to be sure it doesn't happen again: "once bitten shame on you; twice bitten shame on me."
Part of the pathology of dog bites is why a particular owner has chosen a particular dog. Dogs pick up on these kinds of things. If the dog is chosen to be a faithful companion and treated like a member of the family, he will not be as likely to bite someone. At a young age, introducing the dog to other animals and people is necessary. Just going on a walk introducing the dog to other people constantly maintains human friendliness and trust. If he/she is tied to a stake somewhere in the yard, there personality is more isolated, threatening, and less connected to people.
When you make that decision to become a dog owner, thoroughly examine your motives. What do you expect of this dog? Is he supposed to express your affability and social spiritedness, or is he/she chosen out of underlying fear and distrust? Instead of buying a Pit Bull to tie to the tree in your front yard, perhaps a few visits to a psychologist are really in order-apparently there are some underlying issues you need to come honest with. Dogs are wonderful companions and lifelong family members. It takes a bit of time, understanding, training, rewards and courtesy by you to shape the dog's personality.
John Drew Laurusonis
Doctors Medical Center
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