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
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 […]
Five Pedestrian Accident Facts
Some numbers have Arizona as the most dangerous state in the U.S. when it comes to pedestrians. They are in the most danger by simply being outnumbered, which means accidents are likely to rise as the number of automobiles on the road continues to rise. It is important for you to not only understand how […]
California Lemon Laws: How Exactly Do They Work?
Buying a car in California, whether brand new or slightly used is always an exciting experience. Even if you already have a few in your garage, the thought of painting the town red in a new ride is nothing but thrilling. So, it can be incredibly disappointing if your new or used car keeps on […]
Causes of Motorcycle Accidents in the United States
Whether due to size, or footprint of the motorcycle, or sheer stability, or a combination of these factors, motorcycles are much more likely to be involved in an accident than other automobiles. Certainly, in some cases, this is a visibility issue as well, with many drivers of other automobiles not looking in their blind spots […]
Clearing Up Workers Compensation Misconceptions
If we hear the term “workers comp,” we probably feel like we understand the basics – if you get hurt on the job, you file for workers comp, you get time off to heal and hopefully a little extra something along with your salary to make it all easier. In an ideal world, sure, it […]
Slip and Fall Injuries in Arizona and California
In desert climates especially, some property managers have a tendency to not count on inclement weather when it comes to the upkeep of their properties. This means that, over time, things like rain and seismic shifts can slowly wear away at all kinds of surfaces, making them unsafe to walk on. While property managers may […]
Winter Slip and Fall Accident Tips
Whether your winter is cold and snowy or just plain cold, winter is a time when slipand fall accidents are increasingly likely. Cold, wind, ice and snow are problems on their own and when they combine, it’s a perfect storm of injury possibilities. Typically, these conditions result in bruises and bumps, but there’s always the […]
Five Helpful Facts and Tips About Motorcycle Accidents
Motorcycles are specialist machines. They require their own licenses, training and a specific discipline for driving safely. Learning to drive defensively on a motorcycle can be more difficult than doing so in an automobile. Each year, there are 2,907 total motorcycle crashes, 2,274 of which result in injuries and 156 of which result in some […]
Five Apps for Bicyclists
Bicycle accidents happen all the time in the United States, and practicing bicycle safety is relatively simple – it just involves a lot of mindful riding and the safest possible equipment. Another part of safe bicycle riding is making sure you have your routes planned out and, in the case of an emergency, it doesn’t […]
Pedestrian Safety in Cold Weather
When it’s cold outside, people drive worse than they did before. If you’re a pedestrian, you need to take extra precautions during the cold weather and, if you’re driving, you need to keep an extra eye out for pedestrians who are even harder to see, especially if snow is lowering your visibility. Safety is always […]
контактная форма
