One of the most common reasons why owners dogs turn to veterinarians for help, is a bite in their dogs. A dog may be bitten by another dog, resulting in fight, or some unfamiliar animal.
Why do dogs bite?
Puppies often bite because it is part of their game. Adult dogs bite, usually due to certain motives. or reasons. Aggressive behavior like growl, rattle, barking or biting can be used as a communication or solution competitive issues, as well as in the event of a threat. Competition can be for food, territory, owner’s attention, position in the pack or for attention to another dog.
How serious are dog bite wounds?
According to rough estimates, dog bite wounds account for about 10% of all injuries that are treated by veterinarians.
Dog bites can cause serious skin and soft injury. tissues. Dog’s teeth and jaws are powerful tools, and bites caused by them can easily tear muscles, penetrate chest, lung damage, or serious or fatal damage to internal organs. even those bites that do not tear the skin, can cause serious and deep injuries soft tissue.
Bite injuries usually occur on the legs, head or neck. In the neck area are vital blood vessels, such as veins and carotid arteries, as well as nerves, esophagus and trachea. Wounds on the face can cause serious damage to the eyes, ears and mouth, eye wounds are especially dangerous. Leg bites can lead to joint damage.
There are a lot of bacteria in the dog’s mouth, so any bite can lead to infection and infection by bacteria. In this way, all dog bites are considered contaminated and infected. At untreated, infection can cause a local abscess tissues to be distributed further. In rare cases penetrating bites can lead to septic arthritis (joint inflammation), osteomyelitis (bone inflammation), pyothorax (suppuration in the chest cavity) or septic peritonitis (suppuration in the abdominal cavity).
Do I need to show the dog to the vet after she had a fight?
If your dog had a fight with another dog, sometimes it is difficult to determine the degree of damage, especially if the wounds are in areas covered with wool. Small puncture wounds from dogs teeth can be closed so that you miss them easily. Therefore, if your dog fought with another animal, you should Contact your veterinarian quickly for an examination. If you see obvious bite wounds, you should immediately seek veterinary care. Wounds that appear on the surface insignificant, can be deceiving and, depending on their location, life-threatening animal.
How to determine if a dog needs immediate help?
There are certain signs that the dog needs emergency help. These include non-stop bleeding, shortness of breath, weakness, whining, lameness, pale or blue gums, or breakdown.
How are dog bites treated?
Your veterinarian must determine what treatment is required. dog, depending on the nature of the injuries received, the total health conditions and location of wounds. The goal of treatment is reducing the severity of the infection that will develop. it achieved by cleaning the wound, removing dead or damaged tissue suturing wounds if possible.
For any bites, antibiotics should be prescribed. If there will be any doubt whether there was penetration under the skin, then the vet, likely to prescribe a broad spectrum antibiotic to reduce the likelihood of developing an infection. The sooner they will be applied antibiotics, the faster and more effective it will be possible to stop an infection. Wounds to be examined within 6 hours after bite, have the best chance of healing without complications.
Most wounds are very painful, therefore, to relieve suffering animal, you can give him some kind of pain medication or sedative before you try to evaluate degree of damage. The vet will probably have to shave hair in places of bites to be able to wash the wound and remove any dirt. In case of extensive damage or contamination of large wounds, the dog will have to do general anesthesia, to safely and thoroughly clean all wounds.
Small bite wounds tend to remain open, so that any infection can enter. Perhaps lacerations will have to be sewn up, but at the same time leave temporary holes for fluid flow so that it does not accumulate in the bite area. Also in in many cases, the size of the wounds can be increased in order to be able to examine and clean all underlying tissues.
Experts recommend that a bacterial sample be taken cultures and tests for their sensitivity to various antibiotics. So the veterinarian will be able to choose the most suitable medicines to treat. However, tests may take several days, therefore, antibiotics may be prescribed first a wide spectrum of action.
What home care may be required?
If your dog’s wounds were sutured, you need to keep them dry and clean. If the wound was left open, or was a drain is placed to remove fluid; you will need to regularly clean and rinse this wound. You can use a soft rag or cotton buds and warm water to remove contamination. AT in some cases, the veterinarian will prescribe a light sanitizer a means to keep the wound clean. Use only those means recommended by your veterinarian and never use hydrogen peroxide to clean the bite site, as this can stop healing and make the problem worse.
If you have been instructed in cleansing your wound, special attention should be paid to the animal, as wounds can be painful, and the animal may bite because of pain or fear. It is advisable to use a muzzle for the dog, even if she tamed.
What can be done to prevent dog bites?
Do not allow your dog to move freely and keep it on a leash when you are outdoors or in a park. Dogs that well trained, fight much less often, so it’s worth paying special attention attention to dog training obedience. If you are outside with your dog and see a stray dog, then don’t come near it. Even if your dog is tamed and friendly, you have no way find out the character of another dog.
