Treating bite wounds

Animals tend to bite in self defence, in an attempt to prey food, and as part of normal interactions. Occasionally the bite attacks may seem unprovoked.

One may be surprised to hear that dogs and cats mouths are probably one of the most contaminated organs in their body. Besides the fact that pets do not normally get their teeth brushed daily and plaque (layers of bacteria and debris)  is formed on their teeth, even their normal bacterial flora can cause severe infections if penetrated to other tissues of the body. Let alone the fact that some animals have the charming habit of eating other animals, or their own stool… Therefore, even a small bite wound can potentially have severe consequences.

Most sizes of bite wounds should be addressed and treated medically. Very small wounds act differently than large wounds but are not necessarily less severe in consequence. In fact, when the bite wound is very small, typical to cat bites, the external skin heals very fast. However, the bacteria that penetrated through the broken skin causes a local infection underneath the healed skin. This condition leads to a pocket of pus that is called an abscess. Abscesses tend to appear a few days after the bite occurred. Very commonly, the owner does not see the abscess under the fur but can readily notice that the pet is not feeling good, not being himself, has low appetite and is lethargic. If an abscess goes unnoticed, it is very likely to eventually burst. It is much better to  drain the abscess than to let it burst. When an abscess bursts spontaneously it often leaves a laceration that can not heal properly on its own without a surgical correction.

When an animal bites another animal that is significantly smaller than it, it tends to hold the bitten animal in its mouth and shake it (same behaviour that you would see dogs with a chewing toy in their mouth). This shaking causes a significant damage to the tissues under the skin. When a big dog is involved in the biting, you can be almost sure that the tissue damage is much greater than what you can visualize externally on the pet.

The approach to larger skin laceration and bite wounds is always surgical. The tissue needs to be thoroughly cleaned. An assessment to the integrity of internal organs or any other internal damage is made. Surgical correction of the wounds, often involves placing drains for a number of days, in order to reduce the large pockets formed by the shaking movements.

Any bite wounds case requires an antibiotic course to prevent the possible infections and severe complications that are so likely to arise.

If your animal was attacked by another animal it is highly recommended to take it to your vet right away. Even if the external wounds do not look serious to you, the potential of complications can be significantly reduced just by treating the pet with a preventative course of antibiotics. Obviously, every bite wound would be painful so pain control medication is recommended as well.

On top of bacterial infections animals can also transmit viruses. The most significant virus that can be transmitted by animal bites is rabies. Checking the biting dog's immunization status and making sure that your own pet is vaccinated are important steps  to be taken for the prevention of transmission of the diseases.

It is important for dogs owners to know the laws regarding bite wounds. The biting dog owners are liable for any damage caused by dog bites to persons or domestic animals.  If dogs attack or pose a nuisance to the safety of persons or domestic animals, an application can be made to the court that may order destruction of the dog or provide better control of the dog by making an order with conditions such as ensuring the dog is on a leash, muzzled, confined to a secure area, warning signs, or prohibition from owning a dog for a certain time.

This rule does not apply if the biting occurred where the dog is housed and the bitten animal trespassed into the biting dog property.

Therefore, the owners should take all the safety measures needed to prevent attacks. Always keep your dog on a leash.  A leash does not always completely prevent an attack, however, you have much more control of your dog if it is leashed.  If your dog can be aggressive, always muzzle it. If you live in proximity to an aggressive dog, make sure that your pet can not trespass to the property. Also keep it leashed any time you leave the house. The last bite wound case I treated was a tragic case in which neighbouring dogs attacked two small dogs, just on the driveway, two steps before the small dogs entered the family car.

Bottom line, dog bites can cause a horrific outcome. Know your pet, do not overlook its potential and ability to harm other living creatures or get hurt by other animals. Take basic safety measures. If your animal did get attacked by another animal, do not hesitate and take it to see your vet - it is better be safe than much more sorry down the road.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.