Dangers of Animal Bites

  I don’t know how many times my son’s pet Iguana bit me, but let me tell you it was not a good experience! The tempermental little beauty was quite the terror sometimes.  The bacteria in the bite often caused havoc for me and was difficult to heal. Additionally, my birds would try to yank a finger once in awhile, not to mention my young female hamster when she wanted to nest outside of her cage. So, I thought a recent article in the Baltimore Sun would be helpful to all pet owners.

Animal bites are serious and are discussed at length in a Baltimore Sun article, How to treat minor animal bites, scratches, by Dr. Tanveer Giaibi of Northwest Hospital  http://tiny.cc/u8wm0 (March 2011). Here is a summary of the article.

Animal bites are common and frequently affect skin, bones and joints. About 90 percent of bites are caused by dogs, followed by cats and rodents, respectively. The most frequently bitten are young children. They are frequently bitten on the face or neck, and older children on their arms. The common concern is rabies, followed by injuries and permanent disabilities. Overall, the worse places to be bitten are face, neck and hands.

If bitten, clean the wound carefully and you should watch for signs of infection, such as reddening, swelling and pus discharge. Pain moving your joints near the bite are also a warning sign of infection and swelling.  Use cold compress on the swelling and see your doctor immediately.

Visit your doctor if the bite has broken the skin. People with weak immune systems due to illnesses like diabetes, liver disease, cancer and HIV should seek immediate treatment.  Treatment is generally with antibiotics. Interestingly, cat bites cause more infections and should be treated quickly when signs of infection appear. Of course, there is the dreaded rabies vaccination process if you are infected with rabies.

Dr. Giaibi also talks about other treatments as well as  cat scratch fever symptoms.

Stay tuned. Next first aid article will be on reptile bites.