Dogs are formidable predators as the capability of the teeth and the jaws to deliver up to 450 pound pressure can create serious injuries. When the strong jaws of the dog have locked on its victim, the needle sharp teeth can literally tear the flesh away. Depending on the body part bitten, the dog bite can cause lifelong injuries that will limit the victim's mobility. A serious dog bite can even kill a person. The dog's strong teeth will deliver deep puncture wound that would "inject" bacteria resulting to infections and the development of viral diseases. One of the life threatening consequences of dog bite is rabies.
It would be very hard to prevent dog bites because dogs are the most common animal companions of man. Children are the most common victims of dog bites and often times, the kid is bitten by the pet. How do you 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. Lacerations and deep puncture wounds are the two basic types of wounds that can result from dog bites. Because bacteria is injected when the dog sinks the teeth to the flesh, it is common for puncture wounds to get infected. Dog bites can result to serious skin lacerations.
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. Heavy bleeding is common in dog bites that have created skin lacerations. To stem the heavy flow of blood, direct pressure is applied directly in the injured body part. Thorough cleaning is necessary for both types of wounds to prevent infection.
Dog bites can cause skin lacerations that need to be sutured but before taking the victim to a medical facility the bite wound must be cleaned thoroughly as bacteria allowed to stay inside the skin for several hours will have an opportunity 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. Dog bites would always be painful. By applying ice compress, the swelling that causes most of the pain will be reduced.
Rabies would always be a concern with dog bites especially if the immunization status of the dog is unknown. Dog bite victims of stray dogs with an unknown rabies immunization status have to undergo rabies immunization therapy .
It would be very hard to prevent dog bites because dogs are the most common animal companions of man. Children are the most common victims of dog bites and often times, the kid is bitten by the pet. How do you 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. Lacerations and deep puncture wounds are the two basic types of wounds that can result from dog bites. Because bacteria is injected when the dog sinks the teeth to the flesh, it is common for puncture wounds to get infected. Dog bites can result to serious skin lacerations.
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. Heavy bleeding is common in dog bites that have created skin lacerations. To stem the heavy flow of blood, direct pressure is applied directly in the injured body part. Thorough cleaning is necessary for both types of wounds to prevent infection.
Dog bites can cause skin lacerations that need to be sutured but before taking the victim to a medical facility the bite wound must be cleaned thoroughly as bacteria allowed to stay inside the skin for several hours will have an opportunity 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. Dog bites would always be painful. By applying ice compress, the swelling that causes most of the pain will be reduced.
Rabies would always be a concern with dog bites especially if the immunization status of the dog is unknown. Dog bite victims of stray dogs with an unknown rabies immunization status have to undergo rabies immunization therapy .
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Find out more about how to treat a dog bite as well as dog first aid tips for lacerations and puncture wounds.
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