A dog bite expert knows what to do when a person has suffered a dog bite. Observation is the first step in terms of ascertaining how severe an injury is. Knowing more about the animal that bit the person is also crucial. There is a need to make sure the animal is not rabid or carrying some other disease. Knowing the reason for the dog bite may be necessary. Sometimes, pet dogs may bite too.
Dealing with Rabies or Other possible Infections
Some pets bite when they are excited. Others may be going through some traumatic experience, which can show up as aggressive behavior. However, when there is no confirmation or clue as to why a dog would have bitten you, it’s best to take precautions. You will need to administer a tetanus shot and a rabies shot. Rabies is usually manageable through a series of injections, which an expert can apply.
The injection must be from a reputed pharmacy, and it must be fresh. If it isn’t, that could pose a problem for the patient. It would help if you kept the patient calm, too, which may be a challenge after suffering a dog bite. However, you will need to get the patient treated for any gashes and cuts.
Dealing with the Possibility of Rabies
In some cases, patients require stitches. The severity of the injuries will most likely depend on the size of the dog that attacked the person. However, some small dogs can also do a lot of harm. Any open wounds necessitate treatment with anti-bacterial and other reagents. Administering pain killers and other drugs may be necessary. The most significant concern still always remains the possibility of rabies even if a dog has been at home. Based on statistics, even harmless dogs can cause this, especially if it is without inoculation.
In extreme cases, when a large dog as bitten a person, a few stitches won’t do. Sometimes, surgery is required. When a dog has caused a lot of damage, plastic surgeons can be involved. There have been some pretty nasty cases through the years, where children have suffered disfigurement for life due to dog bites.
There is only so much a dog bite expert can do on his or her own when cases are severe. However, they can manage the initial treatment when a patient is bleeding and in pain. Putting a stop to any bleeding is given priority. Injections for disease prevention, along with the possibility of any stitches is secondary but may need immediate attention. Surgery, in extreme cases, maybe a primary requirement when the patient’s life is at risk.