After a dog bite, you may feel scared and confused and wonder what you should do next. Dog bites can range in severity and it is important to take care of your injury immediately.
There are a few steps you should always take after a dog bite. According to Healthline, you should get away from the dog as quickly as possible so you do not get another dog bite.
Treat the wound
You should always apply first aid to a dog bite, even if the bite did not break your skin. You should generally use warm water and soap to clean the wound. You may also want to spread an antibacterial cream over the injury to protect yourself from bacteria in the dog’s mouth. Dog bites may often puncture your skin. In this situation, you should make the wound bleed a bit to remove germs. Sometimes your wound may bleed immediately after the bite. You should typically press a clean cloth over the injury until the bleeding stops. Once you have taken care of the wound, you should usually cover it with a bandage.
Watch for infection
Even superficial wounds might become infected, so you should check your wound every day. An infected wound might feel tender or warm. The skin around the injury may also become swollen or turn red. If you notice these signs, you should seek medical attention.
Learn about vaccinations
Once you treat your wound, you should speak to the dog’s owner. You should gather contact information for the owner and the owner’s veterinarian. Sometimes an owner may not be nearby when the dog bite occurs. In this situation, you should speak to witnesses so you can find the dog’s owner. Speaking to the owner is important because you need to make sure the dog is up-to-date on vaccinations. If the dog has not received a rabies vaccination recently, you may want to seek medical attention.
