Summer brings outdoor festivities for people and their pets, which causes an increase in dog fights. If your pet gets bitten, it is important to get it to the veterinarian promptly to avoid serious consequences.
Some dog fights are very violent, causing significant injuries to one or both pets. In these cases, it is obvious to owners that medical assistance is needed. In cases of serious attack, owners should safely break up the dog fight and apply pressure to stop bleeding while in route to the veterinary hospital. Be very careful because even the friendliest dogs may bite their owners when fearful and injured. When serious injuries occur, dog bite victims are usually treated by a veterinarian promptly due to the nature of the emergency.
In the case of minor dog bites, owners sometimes choose to treat their dog at home which can lead to some very serious complications. What appears to be a minor puncture wound with little bleeding often leads to a serious medical situation.
When a dog bite occurs, the small puncture wounds allow bacteria from the dog’s mouth to get beneath the skin. The bacteria then reproduce under the skin which leads to infection. Once infection has set in, abscesses can occur (these are pockets of pus that accumulate under the skin which need to be drained surgically).
Aside from the risk of abscess, systemic infection can also occur. This is when the infection enters the animal’s blood stream where it can become systemic and spread throughout the body. When a systemic infection occurs, your dog will likely need to be hospitalized and placed on IV antibiotics and fluids. In cases where infection is severe, it can lead to sepsis which is a life-threatening infection.
Another common consequence of delay in medical treatment for a dog bite is tissue necrosis (death of tissue). This occurs because when a dog bites, they grip with their teeth and then use a shaking motion. The shaking causes significant trauma to tissue under the skin often separating the skin from its blood supply. The lack of circulation causes death to the skin within a few days to a week. Once the skin has begun to die, it is necessary to surgically remove the dead tissue. In these cases, open wound care will be needed. This means that the injured pet will need to visit the veterinarian daily for wound debridement (removing any dead tissue) and wound dressing (placement of bandages). The visits are then reduced to every other day and eventually to weekly until the dog’s body re-grows its skin. This is a slow and time-consuming process lasting weeks to months depending on the extent of the injuries. Once the body has regenerated all the missing skin, the pet is left with a small scar.
As you can see, bite wounds can be deceptively dangerous. What first appears to be minor can become much more complicated. Prompt veterinary care is crucial to prevent serious medical complications and give your pet the best odds of a speedy recovery.
