How to deal with a bite.

[glitterless]

That's assuming that you are with your dogs when ever they are in a stranger's presence. I agree with you. People should be able to read their pet like a book. Unfortunately that's not usually the case. I think it's far better to warn people that dogs can be unpredictable than to assume otherwise.

[Prin]

I disagree with "unpredictable". My dogs won't be unpredictable around strangers either. They're well adjusted dogs. If they are provoked enough, they'll bite, but that's not unpredictable.

[glitterless]

What do you mean by provoked? What does it take for your dogs to bite? Do they have to be cornered? Teased? Poked? Prodded? Are they fear biters? Would they bite a person who is dominating them?

I'm almost 99% sure that 2 of my dogs would never bite. They have very sweet dispositions and love every human and animal that they come into contact with. Then there's the third dog who already bit. I knew that he had it in him and I wasn't surprised. But I wouldn't be very surprised if one of the other 2 bit. I know them very well, but they haven't seen everything. I don't know how they'd react in any given circumstance. I guess they typically are predictable, but I will admit that I don't know my dogs well enough to predict their every move.

[Prin]

Mine would have to be hit to bite.

Either way though, if you dominate a strange dog, you're looking for a bite.

[glitterless]

I agree. I do think that most dog bites occur because owners are uneducated or careless. It's unfortunate that children are injured and killed and dogs are labelled "bad" because owners are ignorant. But I guess that's getting into a whole different thread!

[Prin]

Yeah, I met a little girl in the park the other day who was so gentle with the dogs. She even asked before petting them. I was so amazed. I shouldn't be amazed. That should be the norm.

[Prin]

But that's if you don't test your dog. My dogs have been tested to their limits in so many different ways. I know that Jemma doesn't like it when you sneak around. I know that Boo doesn't like it when you wear a hood. I know my doggies inside and out and I've been desensitizing them since day 1.

[Edgewaters]

Well, its not so much the dog itself that is unpredictable, its the situations the dog might encounter and the unpredictable ways he might react to unusual or possibly provocative situations over which you have no control. It's hard to judge exactly where a dog's line is crossed and for what reasons - I knew a dog that was sweet as pie all the time, but if he saw hardhats he turned into The Beast From Hell, slavering jaws and all, and without warning. This facet of his personality went undetected for 2 years because he never saw anyone wearing a hardhat in that time.

I always hear people saying "My dog would never bite anyone, he's such a suck" but then after an attack you often hear of people saying, "We don't understand how this could have happened, our dog has always been so sweet and gentle!"

Anyway ... while some owners are more aware than others and all that, I think it's a good rule of thumb for most people. Not everyone is equally aware or equally able to judge body language and some incidents can occur in a split second.

I don't mean that everyone ought to treat their dog like a loaded gun and keep it away from people or be too cautious either; I knew one dog that was handled this way and never got properly socialized as a result.

[Prin]

lol, now my post isn't in chronological order.

[Edgewaters]

My bad, I was trying to edit but I double posted instead.

Prin you're very accomplished and skilled with dogs - more than average I think?

It's like a competitive downhill skier can do lots of things that aren't recommended for beginners ...

[scorch]

I am semi-retired and during the summer, I cut grass at a golf course which requires me to get up at 4:30 am.

I got into the habit of sitting out on the deck when I got up with a cup of coffee and a smoke. I enjoyed leaving the outside light off and watching the stars, then the faint start of sunrise.

Well .... one morning it was darker than usual due to cloud cover, and I am not general that sharp first thing in the morning and didn't notice how dark it really was. I had just flicked my cigarette away when I felt a terrible pain in my right hand and I think I heard crunching.

I jumped up went to the door ( only about 4 feet away) turned the light on and there standing on the bottom step of the deck was a full grown coyote ( we live in the country). It was so dark out that I never even knew he was around.

Off to emergency ...... with four puncture wounds. Got a tetnis shot. Then to doctors for a horrilble antibodies needle. It was huge and had to be inserted local to all 4 wounds and hurt like heck. That was followed by a schedule of 6 rabie shots which wern't that bad.

First words out of doctor's mouth was ..... "Well ..... there's another reason to quit smoking."

[glitterless]

Hah, I love your doctor, Scorch. What an awful story, though. That must have been VERY painful!

I'm surprised that a coyote would act that way.

[gtexan]

I am of the mentality that a dog's owner should be directly responsible for their pets behavior.

If your dog bites a child, teenager, or adult, you should be punnished as if you were the aggressor.

That would make sure people only picked dogs they would be able to properly care for

[MBRA518]

Originally Posted by gtexan

I am of the mentality that a dog's owner should be directly responsible for their pets behavior.

If your dog bites a child, teenager, or adult, you should be punnished as if you were the aggressor.

That would make sure people only picked dogs they would be able to properly care for

I don't agree with that. Sometimes there is nothing that could have been done differently. I am an experianced owner and had dogs of similar and same breeds as one dog that bit a little girl… She rang the door bell and he went right through the storm door at her (fortunately no major damage but he did break skin). He had been well socalized with dogs and people. He had never done anything like that before. He always liked people, though was protective of me… but I wasn't even home, my husband was though. We had 2 dogs at the time, the older one did not partake in the event but stood barking at the door.

In that case, with no provoking and no reasons for that happening we put him down after the 10 quarentine (you have to quarentine whether they've been vaccinated or not - he was properly vaccinated). It was a very hard decision to make but I still feel it was the right one. We have to remember that to the dog that it no different that being put under for surgery… it's the humans that have to deal with the emotional isses involved.

[Janie123]

We were *adopted* by a strange looking cat. He sprayed in the outside of our house and we decided he needed to be taken to the SPCA. Although my husband had thick gloves on,it bit through them. My husband called animal control was told HE had to contain the cat first or he would go through rabie shots. They had gotten his address first.
It took some doing but we managed to trap it in the garage. It went CRAZY! The animal control officer thought he was part bobcat. He was strange looking and big for a cat.
Always call about bites,ESPECIALLY with strays. This cat had to be put down and I think it was a blessing for him. He was very wild and scary looking and dangerous.:sad:

[Annienmyst]

I tell people that he hasn't bitten in the past, but it doesn't mean that he won't. I just don't know for sure. He has had some behaviors such as growling and snapping (at the vet tech when she drew blood), so I know he's capable of it.

That being said, people can just be so darn DUMB. Once, I made the mistake of taking Max to the St. Patrick's day parade. He got really stressed when walked..all the legs. I think he was afraid he would be stepped on. I took him back near a building and set him up on a large planter out of the way so he could calm down. People would come up to him and try to pet him..even after I told them not to. Parents too, were trying to have their kids pet him even though he was growling at anyone who put their hands near him. I just can't stand the stupidity of people. ( And yes, I was stupid too..I thought he would enjoy all the people around..he loves people.)

[JakeUKlad]

Do you really need anti-biotic treatment if your own cats bite you?

My cat has bitten me a few times to hard and ive had blood appear , i usually just ignore it .....btw he does it when he is playing

[catlover2]

Never take a chance with cat bites! Always wash scratches or wounds with soap & water as soon as possible, and put on some Polysporin. Cat bites can cause a bad infection and blood poisoning, or "cat scratch fever". http://familydoctor.org/online/famdo...bites/024.html

Don't allow your cat to bite you when you're playing with it. Redirect with a toy, or use a "teaser toy" on a stick.

[lappleton404]

Thanks for posting...Too bad for your baby to have to experience being bitten... Hugs for her... You should never leave your children with your dog or even if it's a puppy, just don't trust them... It's better to be safe than sorry... No matter how tame your dog is, sometimes they act weird... Doesn't matter what kind of breed it is... I just hope parents would be more cautious not to leave their kids with the dog alone.

[Notcathy]

I am afraid with the bite of dogs, it is very dangerous. I hope all pets especially dogs have a vaccine. Thanks for the info!

[Choochi]

Just wanted to add, this is one of the major reasons why you should always have your dog's rabies up to date as per your local law and you do need written proof of this. What also matters is not the date of the vaccination, nor the date as per manufacturer of when the shot is "expired" but what the vet actually certifies it as. There are plenty of vets who give a 3yr rabies vaccine but only certify your rabies certificate for one year as they want you to come back in a year for more shots. In such case, from a legal point of view, that shot is only valid for one year, and not a day more then what the vet wrote on the certificate. If your dog has an expired rabies vaccine certificate, even by a day, and he bites some one, yes he can legally be taken away and PTS so that a rabies test can be done.

None of the other vaccines matter when it comes to dog bites, rabies is the only one that your dog is required to have by law.

[lovepet]

Hi YoHo
First of all thanks to you for writing such an awesome post

Secondly, I know I am very late but still asking... hows Your baby now... hoping that she will fine

Lastly I was quite happy, joining a good and informative forum and this post of yours is saying me that I did right, joining this forum

[FrenchiePaul]

Even if the dog which bit you isn't a stray, but the owner can't show you papers that confirm rabies vaccination - you certainly need to get a rabies shots!

One of the lessons learned as a little child.

[jenniferkdiaz]

Great! Thanks for the info. You're right, now matter how cute that dog is, no matter how good that may be. We shouldn't leave children and the dog alone. We don't know what's running through the dogs mind. We should be careful every time.

[cassblonde]

I'm going to add my own dog bite sotry here for those that are saying "Do I have to go to the doctor?" trust me you'll know and you'll go.

When I got bit it was totally my fault and I see what I should have done now but at the time just reacted and paid for it.

I was walking my dog when a toy poodle came running across the street to us(he had slipped through the wide wrought iron fencing of the apartment building where he lived). The owner was right there and I could see she was very scared that her dog would go back into the street and get hit by a car so I grabbed the dog's harness. He managed to bite me a few times on the hand I was holding him with before his owner could get across the street to us.

I went to her apartment and washed my hand and thought that would be all I really needed to do. I had places to go so I left. About 3 hours later I knew I was going to have to go see a doctor because, man, did my hand hurt!! I had to stop off at the lady's house and let her know that I needed her name and address because I had to fill out a dog bite report she was surprised I would need medical care as well. I believe she had to keep him quarantined but otherwise as far as I know everything was fine for her and her dog.

I totally blame myself as I should have just lured the little guy back from the street with my dog and not touched him. I will never make the mistake of grabbing a dog that I don't know like that ever again!

[Willowsmommy]

At the very least, wash it out with antibacterial soap and treat with an antibiotic ointment.

My cat bit me while I was administering her medicine yesterday (she was scared, not her fault.) It bled for a couple minutes. Within an hour, my finger was swollen. 6 hours later, I was at the doctor's office and was rx'd augmentin. Even after the first dose, the swelling and pain increased. It looked the worst this am - significantly swollen, entire finger red and hot to the touch, numbness and bruising at the puncture sites, very painful. Finally, after the 3rd dose of antibiotics plus 600 mg of ibuprofin 3x/day, my finger is starting to improve. It still looks bad but the redness, warmth, and swelling are greatly improved. As is the pain. I've had cats all my life but have never had this bad of a bite.

[MTnorth]

This is a great thread, I am glad to have found it as dog bites are very common in some of our northern communities (for a variety of reasons).
I am thankful that the communities have a good relationship and system in place with Public Health, and also get support from by-law officers when needed.
Good info, thanks all for sharing your stories, and my condolences to those who have suffered an injury or know someone who has!

[lnrv1]

wow, thanks you shared

[henric40]

Hello, the dog rather, if he knows you very much, he shouldn't bite you, even if you annoy him, if he is used to you and you spend time with him, he knows that he will not bite you, he will bite you, but not you and if you are a good owner, he shouldn't

[anton52]

I just do not believe that a dog is unpredictable, if he is really raised with people from an early age, he will do nothing