Beware dog bites! Never realized the infection risk

Sorry if this is disjointed but I'm beat. Just got back from the hospital. My mother got bit by a loose dog yesterday; she was trying to help catch it. She needed stitches for an open gash on her hand and they gave her antibiotics.

This morning it was getting red and swollen, and she had a fever, so she went back to the doc and got a second antibiotic to take with the first.

By 9pm tonight it was clear the infection was getting worse, not better. So now she is in the hospital with IV antibiotics. Hopefully that will clear it up quickly. It looks really gruesome and of course we are all concerned.

So PLEASE go to a doctor right away with any bite or puncture that bleeds or is at all deep and watch carefully for signs of infection. That whole thing about dogs' mouths being clean is really a huge urban myth; most dogs carry lots of bacteria in their mouths (as do all animals, and people).

0 members like this

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on July 15, 2012 at 7:53am

I carry a slip lead in my car plus I use 6' thin leash that I could also make into one. If the dog is scared it may help to get them but probably would not help to not get bit???

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Beth on July 15, 2012 at 10:23am

A lot of dogs don't like being grabbed by the collar. They seem better when the lead comes from the front rather than behind. When you go over the back of their head, that's a dominant and threatening posture; dogs will go for the back of the neck or the throat in a bad fight if they want to kill the other dog. When you open the slip lead wide they can see what you are doing because you are coming from the front. It would not help with a vicious dog (which I wouldn't try to catch anyway) but might with a frightened or hand-reactive dog.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Tracy Dusek on July 13, 2012 at 7:12pm

here in TX, whether or not he is up to date on shots, he still gets 10 days in quarantine after biting. And the owner gets to pay for it. it's a decent wake up call for owners of dogs that lack training. I'm not sure how many chances the dog gets, or if there is a limit?

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Cassie, Camden, and Oaklie on July 15, 2012 at 6:38am

Illinois state law requires a 1 & 10 day observation (come in to be examined on day 1, and again 10 days later) if the pet is vaccinated. The pet is supposed to remain quarantined at home. If the pet isn't vaccinated, the animal is quarantined for the 10 days in a medical facility. If the animal is euthanized prior to the 10 day mark, the local county requires a sample to be submitted for testing. All of the above is at the owner's expense.

As for a limit on how many times a dog can bite a person before mandatory euthanasia, that depends on state and local laws and ordinances.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Snickmom on July 13, 2012 at 11:33pm

A friend was bitten on the face when she tried to pick up a dog that had been hit by a car. An injured animal should be picked up with a jacket or blanket over their head. (not a bad idea to keep one in the car). Perhaps that would work for a dog loose in the street, too.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Sandy Stickney on July 14, 2012 at 8:59am

Hey Beth, I hope your mom gets over the infection soon. It's a shame that this happened when all she was doing was trying to help. Loose dogs are a scary prospect to me.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Rachael McClanahan on July 14, 2012 at 11:41pm

I am so so sorry to hear about your mom! I actually got bitten today by a dog that charged and attacked one of my dogs. It ran up and bit my heel so fast that I didn't even have time to react. Mine is also a deep puncture, but because of its size and shape, I didn't get any stitches.