How to deal with a bite.

[Yoho]

I want to post this little blurb based on my recent experience when my baby was bitten by a dog. The event was made much more difficult for me because I was living in a fantasy world in which that sort of thing wasn't going to happen. The fact is that I was so completely terrified by the thought of such a thing happening, that I didn't think of how to respond properly. This was simply ignorance.

I'm hoping that if I share this information, somebody who reads it will benefit.

First of all, it is critical to avoid the dog bite. Experts recommend that you never leave a child and a dog alone together.
Unfortunately, even supervised dogs will bite children under unexpected circumstances. Just because the owner is holding the dog's collar does not mean your child is safe.

Second of all, ANY bite that draws blood / breaks the skin (Cat, Dog, or Human) requires anti-biotic treatment. If a visit to the emergency is not warranted based on the size of the cut, go to a doctor within a day to get a prescription to prevent infection. Infected cuts scar.

Thirdly, If you don't know the vaccination history of the dog you must report the dog and the event to the authorities for rabies testing. If the dog is a stray, the bitten person will require rabies shots.

Fourth of all, if this happens to your child remember that your immediate instinct is that of a mother bear with her cub. You will be ready to attack and out for revenge. Calm down before you start blaming everybody and attacking the dog. It is important to try and be a civilized human being even when something uncivilized and inhuman occurs.

Fifthly, try not to make a big deal in front of the child that may make the child more afraid. Don't expect the dog to be punished after the fact if it was provoked. Obedience lessons with the dog and the child (if they are to live together) from a professional trainer are a good idea.

Finally, I hope this never happens to you. Maybe if you realize that it happens quite often and that dog bites are the second most common reason for children to visit the hospital, you will realize that you
******MUST WATCH YOUR CHILDREN WITH DOGS******.
It doesn't matter how cute, nice, well-trained, friendly, well-known, or small the dog is... any dog can bite a child under circumstances. I just wish someone had told me this before it happened to me.

I hope you never have to deal with this problem yourself.

Thanks to everybody who wrote to me.

[StaceyB]

Wow, you learned a lot since your first post on this subject. I am very impressed. Very well put together.

[BoxerRescueMTL]

Thank you Yoho, great post! I really think this should be made a sticky. So many people think *their* dog won't bite. This is a very dangerous way to think. I say if it has teeth, it can bite.

[StaceyB]

Hey, don't forget those beaks.

[BoxerRescueMTL]

LOL, my sis and my mom both have yellow headed amazons. Talk about those beaks! They freakin' hurt!!!

[StaceyB]

I have the big guys but I would have to say those darn budgies don't let go. ouch!

[MIA]

Originally Posted by Yoho

Thirdly, If you don't know the vaccination history of the dog you must report the dog and the event to the authorities for rabies testing. If the dog is a stray, the bitten person will require rabies shots.

I just want to add that this isn't necesarily true, I was badly bitten last year and we weren't sure if the dog was vaccinated for rabies and I didn't get rabies shots nor was the dog tested, they have to test the brain of the animal, which would require for the dog to be PTS. It may depend your area, we haven't had a case of canine rabies in approx 20 years, and the doctor didn't want me to go through it...

But yes see a doctor if the skin was broken and please be careful with strange dogs, even those you know, remember it's still an ANIMAL.

[coppperbelle]

Originally Posted by MIA

I just want to add that this isn't necesarily true, I was badly bitten last year and we weren't sure if the dog was vaccinated for rabies and I didn't get rabies shots nor was the dog tested, they have to test the brain of the animal, which would require for the dog to be PTS. It may depend your area, we haven't had a case of canine rabies in approx 20 years, and the doctor didn't want me to go through it...

But yes see a doctor if the skin was broken and please be careful with strange dogs, even those you know, remember it's still an ANIMAL.

I am very surprised that the doctor did not recommend that you were innoculated against rabies. When my dog bit someone in the U.S. Health Canada contacted me twice. Once right after the bite and the next time 10 days later. The girl that was bitten needed proof from me that my dog was vaccinated. If not she would have to undergo the injections. I think your doctor took a chance.

[MIA]

I'm not unhapppy with his decision, we haven't had a case or rabies as I have stated in approx 20 years, the dog was from BC Canada, and I am thankful he didn't want me to have it, as they are very painful, the bite was bad enough!!! I am a minimalist myself and if given the choice I probably wouldn't have done it, UNLESS there was a real risk of the dog having rabies (which there wasn't), obviously we made a good choice as I don't have rabies and all is well 1 year later. I am guessing you were contacted as you were in the USA, most areas still have rabies and yes it would have been a concern to US doctors and authorities.

[Joey.E.CockersMommy]

Great post. My son was bitten by a dog once while at a friends house. He asked the owner if he could pet him, the owner was sitting right there and holding the dog. Callum reached out to pet him and in a flash got bitten on the eye. It wasn't serious, but really scared him. Afterwards we realised the dog had a toy underneath him and perhaps he was being possessive.

My boys keep asking me if they can be alone with our dog and I constantly have to tell them no. Joey has had some growling issues with our son but even if he didn't I dont let them alone together.

[BullLover]

I was bit by a stray last year. I had called Animal Care to pick them up, since I am by a very busy road. I was playing fetch with one of the dogs (which both were friendly) when I got bit (out of excitment). I had to get a shot, but the dog did not have rabies. Thanks for the great post!

[JessXx]

Thanks for this.

[Pokittles]

i was attacked by a dog in december. it was awful. i spent a week in the hospital, including christmas. i've been out of work since and after months of physical and mental therapy, i'm trying to get back on my feet. i don't think i'll ever be the same. you try not to make a big deal about it but it really is. if i didn't have someone with me that day i would of been dead. thankfully the dog was updated on his vaccines. i had more of an issue with the doctors. i had punctures and bruises all over my body, my right arm getting it the worse. instead of keeping me in the hospital, the doctor stitched up my arm and sent me home with antibiotics...3 days later my arm is infected and gangrene! i've been a dog lover my whole life but after this incident i find it hard to even be around dogs. i tense up and become very uncomfortable...this situation isn't good for the dogs around me either because they sense this. anyway, i spent months in therapy and unfortunatley i still have issues and nightmares. i'm hoping someday i can get over this and have my love of dogs back but as for now i'll stick with my cats.

[Koda&Onyx]

I am so sorry to hear of what happened to you. Just reading your post was sad for me. I thank God that I never had to deal with anything as far as a serious bite from a dog and I hope that I never will. But I pray that you get better mentally and physically, because I know it has to be difficult.

[SARAH]

Wow, that must have hurt!

I was bitten by a dog once - nipped a few times by my aunt's Cocker, but this was different. I was at a garage, and the owner was away, leaving his Briard "in charge". I had a husky and a rott at the time and this black dog didn't worry me, especially as he was loose. I figured you don't leave a dog loose if he's agressive, right?

He came up to me, I petted him, all well and good. I looked around for some human presense and saw none. As I left I held my hand out to pet the dog again, and in a flash he grabbed by hand. Lucky for me, he just bit down and didn't rip or shake his head.

I went straight to the police station, and they did talk to the owner (apparently someone on the borderline of legality and being watched by the law already for other matters). I just washed my hand and left it at that, but the next day I had to go to the doctor with a hand doubled in size.

Lucky thing though, just some antibiotic medicine and a few uncomfortable days, and I was fine again. The dog was tested for rabies, and was fine too.

I still to this day don't know what his problem was, why he bit me. Maybe he thought I had taken something while looking for his owner, I don't know. I never went near him again (he always strayed around the next-door supermarket parking, I was worried about all the kids and elderly crossing there all the time), but I wasn't mad at the dog.

I had dogs at the time, like I said, and I have had dogs since; I don't go out of my way to avoid dogs. This was a one-time incident, maybe even for the dog in question, and will not alter my behavior with, or view on dogs. There is always one bad apple to give the others a bad reputation. Try to forget it and move on.

By the way, I do still have a scar (this was 12 years ago) but so minimal even I have trouble seeing it smetimes.

[Colubridz]

I agree with everyone else very helpful post. I'm sorry to here about your extremely bad run in with a stray, and can relate to the mental stress afterwards as when I was 12 I was attacked by two large dogs in a park while walking my uncle's boxer. She stepped in and held them at bay but it's still a very scary thing and I was lucky enough to escape unharmed. I don't blame the two dogs, they never asked to be raised by an irresponsible owner who never socialised and trained them enough and they didnt ask to be let offlesh that day but it took me quite ahwile to put it behind me and even harder to rid myself of any personal predjuidces I gained that day against those two breeds ( happened to be a golden retriever and a dobbie, both breeds that I love very much).

One questions about seeking medical treatment for any open skin wounds would this apply to puppy nips as well. My 14 week Rotti/German Shepherd/ Collie pup is still badly teething and still trying to test his place in the pack hiearchy and occasionally has nipped me, not with alot of force but those little teeth are so sharp that it has broken the skin. He's already had his rabies shot and is up to date on his vaccines would I still need to go get anti-biotics or would keeping it clean be good enough?

Kayla

[azaleyes]

To the OP, fabulous post! I am sorry that your child had to go through being bitten - it is a very sad experience for everyone involved.

From an owner standpoint, I felt like I should point out that vaccinations come into play anytime that a dog bitch is involved. None of my dogs have ever bitten anyone (thankfully) but any dog will bite under the "right" circumstance. Whenever you are bitten by a dog that does not have vaccinations, or is not confirmed to have vaccinations (aka papers from vet in hand) I would INSIST on rabies treatment. If your dog bites someone (and this includes all owners who rely on holistic methods and do not use shots) your dog could very well end up dead for testing purposes.

I also should mention that I do not trust off-leash dogs EVER not to bite- especially when the owner is nowhere to be seen.

[dr_dolittle57]

Your post summed everything up throughly. Dogs can behave differently around kids or when the owner isn't home. It's good advice to never leave kids alone with dogs. An incident can happen quickly. I remember as a youngster, getting bit in the nose my neighbors dog who had always been friendly. Good safe thoughts you have shared. Sorry to hear about this incident.

[glitterless]

About rabies...

I thought that in Ontario, if a bite is reported and the dog's owner doesn't have proof of rabies vaccination, the dog must be quarantined for so many days OR the victim of the bite can choose to have the vaccinations just to be safe.

My sister was bitten twice by our family dog. She was probably about 16 when the bites occurred. The first time was an obvious warning and we all should have known better. He was sleeping on the couch beside her, she leaned over to grab the remote, he woke up startled and bit her in the face. It was very minor. The second time was similar. He was asleep on the floor. She walked over to him and bent over him to wake him up. This time I didn't see it, but it was pretty bad. He must have actually grabbed on to her lips and chin for a few seconds. Most of her upper lip was gone.

She's in her 20s now and still has trouble with dogs. She's gotten a lot better, but I can still see that she's uneasy with them. It's sad, because she's an animal lover and I know she wants to have another dog eventually.

I agree that children shouldn't be left alone with dogs. But obviously neither should teenagers! But in my sister's case, she's the type that thinks that any discipline is mean and that she wants to be the dog's friend. If she had shown him the upper hand from the beginning I don't think she would have been bitten.

I'm sorry to all of you who have bitten bitten or had children and family bitten. It's really awful and scary.

[Edgewaters]

Originally Posted by Yoho

It doesn't matter how cute, nice, well-trained, friendly, well-known, or small the dog is... any dog can bite a child under circumstances. I just wish someone had told me this before it happened to me.

ANY dog can bite under certain circumstances (not necessarily just kids, either). It's a myth that responsible ownership can totally prevent this behaviour. Dogs are animals and they are sometimes unpredictable. I believe there is a "myth of responsible ownership" that is sometimes propagated; while it's very much true that responsible ownership can really make a huge difference in how a dog behaves, and irresponsible ownership can cause dogs to become very anti-social and aggressive, it is also true that responsible ownership is not a magic bullet that can guarantee 100% that a dog will not bite. Dogs are first and foremost unpredictable. Just like human beings, even the mildest dog has a capacity for extreme violence in its very being. Responsible ownership simply reduces the number of triggers to an improbable amount, but it cannot completely remove the most deep-seated ones.

[Prin]

Dogs are first and foremost unpredictable

I strongly disagree on that point.

[glitterless]

Why, Prin? I completely agree. IMO all animals are unpredictable.

[Prin]

IMO, my dogs aren't. Strangers's dogs, maybe, but not mine. Unless they're sick, you should know your dog's behavior and you should know your dog's body language also.

[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.

[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.

[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.)

[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!

[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