Recovering From Animal Bites
We love our furry friends, but an animal attack can cause serious damage.
If you have a pet or have been around other people’s pets, you are probably not a stranger to animal bites. Most of the time they are not serious, as it's common for a cat or dog to bite while playing or as a warning to leave them alone. One Twitter user even created a hilarious thread ranking different animal bites. And I currently have kittens, so I am covered in scratches from playing with the little monsters.
However, if an animal is wild or truly distressed, it may inflict more serious injuries. I learned this the hard way myself recently when one of my neighbor’s cats bit my hand hard. The cat liked to hang out at my house but started getting jealous when I adopted a cat of my own. It was getting aggressive with my cat and bit me when I tried to pick it up to throw it outside.
I realized immediately that this was like no other animal bite I had ever experienced. The pain was intense, and within a couple of days, the back of my hand was swollen and red. It was at that point that I sought medical attention and received antibiotics for the infection. When the pain hadn’t dissipated a couple of weeks later, I found out that the tooth had hit a nerve, and received treatment for that as well. I still have two little red dots on that hand from the punctures.
The cat, of course, acts as if nothing happened and still approaches me for pets when it sees me. I’ve been a little warier of that one since the incident though.
I was surprised that a cat could inflict that much damage. When it comes to serious injuries from animal bites, dogs are usually the culprits. Larger and more aggressive breeds can be especially dangerous, specifically if the dog is afraid or has not been well cared for. If you’ve been bitten by someone else’s dog, your injuries may be severe enough that you are entitled to legal compensation.
Animal Bite Injuries
There are many injuries that can be caused by an animal bite. Treatment for them will depend on the severity of the wound and the location of the injury.
Puncture Wounds
Puncture wounds should be immediately cleaned, treated with an antibiotic ointment, and kept covered. If signs of infection develop, such as heat, redness, swelling, or oozing pus, see a doctor to be prescribed oral antibiotics.
In places that have a lot of nerves at the surface, such as the hand, there is a chance the teeth may hit a nerve as well. This can cause pain to radiate throughout the entire limb. If this occurs, your doctor may prescribe vitamin B-12 injections to help heal the nerve.
Broken Bones
A large dog that is angry or distressed is perfectly capable of breaking bones. If you suspect a bone is broken, seek medical attention immediately. The bone will need to be set and kept in a cast until it heals. Your doctor will also likely prescribe painkillers to use as needed.
Eye Injuries
If the animal manages to damage your eye, that is another situation when you should seek immediate medical attention. A minor injury can be treated at home with cold compresses to reduce swelling and flushing the eye to remove any irritants. Your doctor may prescribe eye drops to help with the healing process. You may also need to keep your eye covered with an eye patch while it heals.
Head, Neck, and Spine Injuries
A serious attack where a large animal knocks you down can cause injuries to the head, neck, or spine. These injuries include concussions, skull fractures, and damage to the bones, discs, or nerves in the spinal column. Many of these types of injuries can cause permanent damage and require long-term treatment.
Rabies
If you don’t know the vaccination status of the animal that attacked you, wash the wound and see a doctor right away to get the rabies vaccine yourself. It needs to be administered as soon as possible after the bite in order for it to be effective. There is no cure for rabies, and it can cause death years after the infection. Fortunately, humans contracting rabies from domestic animal bites is extremely rare.
If the animal is a pet, you can contact the owner to verify that the animal has been vaccinated. Unfortunately, the only way to test an animal for rabies is to kill it and examine its brain. If it is a wild animal, contact animal control for assistance rather than attempting to catch it yourself.
Mental Health Effects
An animal attack can be traumatic. It is not uncommon for people to develop an aversion to the type of animal that attacked them. However, if the attack leaves you with symptoms of anxiety or PTSD that are interfering with your life, you may want to see a therapist. EMDR therapy has been shown to be especially effective for those healing from trauma.
What To Do If Someone’s Dog Bites You
Many states have strict liability laws when it comes to dog bites. That means the owner is legally and financially responsible for damages caused by preventable attacks, as long as the victim did not provoke the animal. This is especially true if it can be proved that the animal was dangerous or the owner was negligent.
If you are bitten by a pet, get statements and contact information from any witnesses. Contact the owner right away to get their insurance information and the animal’s vaccination status. Seek medical treatment if necessary, and document all injuries received. Pictures are especially helpful when it comes to proving your case. If your injuries are serious, contact a personal injury attorney that has experience with animal bite cases to go over your options.