Dog attacks can be both physically harmful and emotionally traumatic. Any type of animal attack is terrifying, but being assaulted by a dog can leave a bite victim with crippling fear.
Dogs are so common in the US that it is hard to avoid these usually friendly but potentially dangerous animals. As tens of millions of Americans believe dogs are an important part of family life, which you are most likely to encounter at some point. Serious injuries aren’t always inflicted by a strange dog, even familiar dogs can attack.
Dog bites are by far the most common animal bite injuries in the United States. They make up between a large portion of animal bite injuries annually, with cat bites coming in between a small percent. Animal bites can cause serious injury and even death. Dog bite fatality rates are relatively low, forty-eight per year.
A dog attack can leave you with numerous injuries, but there are five common injuries that occur when dogs bite. In this blog, you’ll learn about these different types of injuries as well as laws.
There are several steps you should take after you are bitten.
Fortunately, widespread vaccination means that most domestic animals have had the rabies vaccine, so this deadly infection is much less common than it used to be. According to the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, about five thousand animal rabies cases occur annually, and only ten per cent of those cases are domestic animals. However, if you are bitten by an unfamiliar canine, there is no way of knowing if it has the rabies virus.
The rabies virus attacks the central nervous system and is fatal to any victim. If you’ve been bitten by a stray or even a familiar dog who doesn’t have proof of vaccination or who hasn’t been vaccinated on a routine schedule, the best thing to do is to seek a vaccine immediately. You don’t want to take the risk that you could have been bitten by an infected dog
According to the Centers for Disease Control, someone with an infection risk of rabies should be first treated with Human Rabies Immune Globulin before they embark on a series of rabies vaccines. This should be administered as soon as possible after exposure in tandem with the first vaccine, and three additional vaccines should be administered.
Some dog bites result in minor injuries, but the potential for rabies infection and other injuries, dog bites are not something you should disregard. It is important to seek medical attention so that you can get prophylactic antibiotics and ensure that you have a record of the dog bite incidence.
Dog attacks frequently leave victims with serious cuts & and permanent scarring. Dog bites frequently require stitches and bandages, particularly if the bite wound is deep and if the bleeding shows no signs of slowing down. You may even need to undergo expensive surgeries due to the bite wounds you suffer.
The most severe type of dog bite wounds are called avulsions. In these cases, soft tissues and even facial features are torn away, leaving behind skin and muscle hanging in flaps. This severe laceration would definitely require reconstructive surgery, which could increase the risk of infection. Overloaded boats
These painful and common injuries may deform the area of your body that the dog attacked, and permanent scarring is not uncommon. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, doctors performed over twenty-eight thousand reconstructive surgeries as a result of dog bites in 2015 alone.
Many victims of dog attacks suffer from permanent facial scarring, and facial deformities can be both physically and emotionally painful. Reconstructive surgery is often required, and younger children who suffer dog bites to the face could require multiple surgeries to deal with persistent scarring. Contact Maryland Accident Lawyer if you have questions about bog bites.
You’ve probably heard tetanus referred to as “lockjaw,’ and you might know it can result in muscle spasms as well as the inability to open your mouth.
If the dog’s attack knocks you to the ground, it is possible that you could experience a traumatic, if your head hits a hard surface or object. This could result in memory loss, cognitive impairments, balance issues, and more.
Permanent disabilities are more common in cases involving children because of their smaller frames. Sadly, some child victims of dog attacks have experienced permanent visual impairment.
Dog attacks often result in deep wounds because of the sharpness of canine teeth and claws. If a bite punctures your skin, you need to seek immediate medical attention. Puncture wounds are usually deeper than lacerations, meaning they’re more likely to cause an infection.
When you go to the doctor, he or she will likely clean and treat your wound thoroughly and also prescribe prophylactic antibiotics to prevent infection. It is also possible you might require stitches to dog effectively treat bite wounds and achieve wound closure.
Dog bites are especially likely to get infected because the attack involves the animal’s mouth. Any animal bites run the risk of infection, but dog bites and cat bites are most frequently seen in emergency rooms. While it is said that dogs have cleaner mouths than humans, that is not necessarily the case.
According to a study, dogs have more than six hundred types of bacteria in their mouths, while humans have six hundred and fifteen. In other words, you should avoid dog bites and human bites if you hope to avoid the infection risk that comes with any animal bites. Avoid cat bites, too, even though their mouths contain half the bacteria of a dog’s mouth.
In addition to standard bacterial infections that will likely respond quickly to antibiotic treatment, dog bites can cause significant and unusual types of infection.
A typical infection can cause pus, fever, and redness at the wound site, and swelling. In the event you notice any of these symptoms, you need to seek immediate medical attention. Infections can become life-threatening when left untreated.
These unusual and severe bacterial infections are caused by the bacteria that live in a cat’s or dog’s mouth.
People who take immunosuppressants such as steroids or people with weakened immune systems among other risk factors are susceptible to this kind of infection, which exhibits symptoms such as:
Antibiotics can treat these infections!
Tetanus is an incredibly dangerous infection that enters the body through puncture wounds and can cause symptoms including:
Tetanus will require hospitalization, and treatment includes intravenous tetanus immune globulin drugs as well as antibiotics and potentially a respirator. Contact Maryland Accident Attorney if you have questions about bog bites