Dog Bite Treatment – 9 Steps For Minor Bites

Proper dog bite treatment for minor bites is a fairly straight forward process. Since all dog bites carry a risk of infection, by immediately cleaning the wound you greatly reduce this risk.

Even though some breeds of dog are considered more aggressive than others, almost any dog may attack if threatened. For serious bites you should get the victim to a doctor immediately. Calling 911 is the best option in the case of a serious bite or mauling. However, if the bite is small you may decide to treat the wound yourself.

Here are nine dog bite treatment tips for minor bites:

1. Gently wash the wound with soap and water. Betadine soap is best.

2. Apply pressure to the wound with a clean wash cloth or rag, to stop any bleeding.

3. Apply an antibiotic ointment like Neosporin to the puncture site, once the bleeding has stopped, to help prevent infection.

4.

Apply a sterile bandage to the wound.

5. Elevate the injured area to a level above the heart, if possible, to help reduce swelling.

6. Call your family physician or take the bite victim to an urgent care facility, if you feel it is necessary.

7. Report the incident to your local authorities, at your discretion. This may be the police or city animal control shelter.

8. Follow the doctor’s instruction, for continuing treatment. This may include taking antibiotics, and dressing the wound daily. If a doctor has not been consulted, change the bandage and ointment twice daily until the wound heals.

9. Call the doctor’s office and make an appointment to have the wound looked at, if you suspect infection after trying self-treatment,.

Following these simple steps should reduce any complications as a result of the bite wound.

My personal recommendation is that you consult your physician if there is bleeding involved.

In cases where the dog that did the biting is not known to you, and thus cannot be observed to see if it gets sick, you must call the doctor because there is always the risk of rabies. Although getting rabies from a domestic animal is fairly rare these days, due to government mandated vaccinations, rabies is always a possibility that must be dealt with.

In a nutshell, use common sense in calling a doctor when the situation is required. Clean the wound, stop the bleeding, keep an anti-bacterial ointment and a clean bandage on the wound.