Dog bites are not only relatively common, but they can be incredibly dangerous. If you’re bitten by a dog, you run the risk of the obvious wound to your flesh or bone, but you also are at risk for an infection, including tetanus and rabies. It can be helpful to know how to treat such an injury and be prepared to avoid infection as much as possible, so here are five helpful facts about dangerous dog bites.
If a dog bites you, you’ll need to take immediate care of it. Here are the basics for what to do to get and keep your wound clean before visiting a doctor.
Your doctor will ask for information about the dog and the incident itself and may re-dress your wound and prescribe antibiotics or other medications to help prevent infection. They may also recommend that stitches be applied to the wound, depending on the depth, although if they are surface wounds they are left to heal without sutures.
A tetanus immunization lasts ten years, so make sure to stay on top of it to avoid getting tetanus from multiple sources, including dog bites. You can often get your tetanus shot at the same time you receive other inoculations. Staying on top of your immunizations and booster shots is the best way to avoid unexpected, avoidable infections that can come from just about anywhere.
The most obvious signs of infection are swelling, redness, fever, or increased pain in the area. If you suspect an infection, head to the doctor so that the wound can be worked on again and so that you can be prescribed the proper medication to take care of the resultant infection.
While the incubation period for rabies is normally two to three months, it can still vary anywhere from 1 week to an entire year. These variations are entirely dependent on where the virus entered your body (the location of your dog bite wound) and the bite’s viral load, which is how much rabies virus was present at the time of the bite.
Dog bites are serious, and you should always consult your doctor. You should also hold onto all medical and other documentation related to the bite when consulting with an attorney. You may be entitled to compensation depending on the circumstances surrounding the bite and the severity of the resulting injury.
blogs
How Dangerous Are Motorcycle Accidents?
Motorcyclists are more likely to die in a traffic accident than people inside passenger cars. In fact, they are 28 times more likely, due to a number of factors, including things like potential low visibility from the blind spots of other vehicles around them. Motorcycles are also most likely to be involved in collisions with […]
How Dangerous are Ride Shares?
Everyone with a smartphone now has access to the next generation of personalized, private transportation. It used to be a matter of calling and reserving a cab or, in some places, hailing one from the side of the road. Since ridesharing is a new phenomenon, however, all of the kinks are still being worked out, […]
Five Apps Every Trucker Should Have
Driving a tractor trailer or any other large vehicle isn’t just about long hours, lots of miles and making sure you’re still driving safely after those lengthy days. It’s a lifestyle, and like any other connected lifestyle in the 21st century, there are plenty of apps to go around designed to help make a truck […]
Winter Driving Safety Tips
Having your winter tires installed on your car and packing a windshield scraper is a good start to being prepared to drive in the winter, but as the cold weather gets harsher, the driving conditions get worse. With this comes the tendency for some people to overcorrect or not know how to stop properly, or […]
Five Products for Increased Pedestrian Safety
While pedestrians typically have the right of way in most places, that doesn’t automatically make everyone around you a better or safer driver. As pedestrians, we have to activelypractice safety in order to make sure that we are the ones most responsible for our personal safety. Staying aware of our surroundings is always step number […]
Common Causes of Car Accidents – and Ways to Avoid Them
Car accidents are an increasingly common source of injuries and loss of property and life. Every year, there are estimated to be over six million car accidents, in the US alone. We drive everywhere, and even short distances pose a hazard to drivers, as well as pedestrians and people on bicycles. The loss of property […]
Four Medical Alert and Slip and Fall Apps
Slip and fall accidents are unfortunately rather common in the US. The part that many people often miss when discussing slip and fall accidents, though, is that it is not just the elderly who suffer from them. Anyone of any age can have an accident, and people of all walks of life may have chronic […]
Winter Bicycle Riding Tips
With cold winds in your face and slick surfaces to navigate, the winter is not the ideal to ride on your typical bicycle. Many of us use a bike as our regular transportation, and some of us have our bikes tricked out for winter riding, as well. In order to make the most of your […]
Tips for Avoiding Motorcycle Accidents
Motorcycles as a mode of transportation are inherently moredangerous than others. Because of this, motorcycle drivers have an extra onus on them to be the safest drivers possible. Many motorcycle accidents are caused due to careless motorcycle driving, and while you may think you’re one of the safe ones, anyone can be caught off guard. […]
Five Products for Increased Automobile Safety
It should be no surprise that in Arizona and California, with the increasing dependence on cars, automobile accidents are increasingly likely. In the event of an accident, you want to have as many bases covered as possible – from minor repairs you can do yourself to getting yourself out of harm’s way as quickly and […]
formulario de contacto
