Dos & Don’ts For Dog Bites

Dogs, when in an alarming state or showing instant affection, can potentially be dangerous as they can end up brawling and screeching the person in opposition. Whether attacked by the neighbor’s canine or a stray dog, getting wounded and punctured by a dog is always a traumatic and dangerous experience. It often creates a situation that we do not know what to do. Knowing the dos and don’ts for dog bites can help you in deal with such a situation better.

Dos & Don'ts For Dog Bites

Dos & Don’ts For Dog Bites

When bitten by a dog, it is important to seek immediate medical attention and ensure that the wounds are cleared off and get healed properly. Further, the victim must also take precautionary measures to keep themselves safe and healthy. Listed below are some simple dos and don’ts for dog bites to help manage the condition, better.

The Dos For Dog Bites

The important actions that need to be taken in case of dog bites are included in the dos for dog bites.

Seek immediate medical attention – Dog bite sufferer should put the superficial wounds under water or rub alcohol on it to clean the wound. You can also use a drop or two of hydrogen peroxide for the purpose. In case of puncture wounds, it is best to rush to a doctor because deep wounds can result in acute diseases and other problems, if left untreated for long. This is one of the most important dos for dog bites.

Get first-aid – In case of a wound from dog bite, it is important to seek proper first aid to prevent the dog bite from taking a toll on their health. It is best to keep a stock of bandages and other medication ready at home, if not seek help from a medical center. This too is a significant part of dos for dog bites.

Contact the authorities – When bit by a street dog, there is no point in chasing the dog or discussing about it without any outcome. Instead, an important one of the dos for dog bites is to stay away from the dog and contact the authority to report the problem and seek immediate medical help.

Contact the dog’s owner – When bitten by a pet dog, the sufferer should contact the dog’s owner to check if the dog has got vaccinated against rabies or not. One of the most essential dos for dog bites, which can protect you. Some victims of dog bites are reluctant to this but they should remember that knowing such details about the dog can help their doctor in determining the most appropriate line of treatment for them.

Collect important information – To stay safe and avoid the recurrence of such incidents in future, important dos for dog bites in addition to contacting the authorities and getting their owner’s information, is to take pictures of their bite wound and document their injuries properly. They should also contact the people who witnessed the dog bite incident to get a better understanding of the entire episode.

Stay calm and get vaccinated – Suffers should not assume that the dog which bit them was healthy and, also that such an incident would never occur again. Instead, one of the most relevant preventive dos for dog bites is to proceed with appropriate medical treatment and vaccination considering the possibility that the dog can be affected with rabies or other fatal diseases.

The Don’ts For Dog Bites

Just as dos are important, certain don’ts for dog bites are equally worth understanding.

Don’t Ignore – An essential don’ts for dig bites is to never ignore your wounds from dog bites. The wounds can be potentially dangerous, so seek medical help, first aid and treat the wound, apart from noting the details for further evaluation of dog bite.

Never assume – Suffers should never take it for granted that the dog is healthy and that their owners have already vaccinated them. This is one of the most important don’ts for dog bites, owing to the risk of rabies, if the dog is infected. In many cases, the dog would need to be thoroughly quarantined to know if they have rabies or not. If bitten by a dog with rabies, the doctor may advise the victim to take a series of extremely painful rabies vaccinations. Thus, knowing the history of the dog is very important.

Avoid discussing the case – Some people who have suffered from a dig bite may not want to disclose some confidential information of the incident to their insurance personnel. If some information can affect your insurance compensation, you may want to disclose only the important points with their insurance agent.

Outlook

Getting bit by a dog is a shocking and an extremely traumatic experience, and any dog bite victim can vouch for this. But after the initial shock subsides, the bite victim should seek prompt medical help to protect their health from the after effects of the dog bite. These dos and don’ts for dog bites can be of great help in such a case.

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Team PainAssist
Team PainAssist
Written, Edited or Reviewed By: Team PainAssist, Pain Assist Inc. This article does not provide medical advice. See disclaimer
Last Modified On:September 3, 2018

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