Dogs with no previous history of violence can sometimes be unpredictable and bite. You should never leave a child unsupervised with a dog regardless of its breed or its previous behaviour.
Unfortunately dog bites are a relatively common type of injury although in most cases the wound can be treated with simple first aid techniques.
It is difficult to put an accurate figure on how many people are bitten by dogs in the UK as many will not seek medical assistance. According to a report by the Hospital Episode Statistics there were 6118 hospital admissions in England between May 2010 - April 2011 as a result of a dog bite or attack.
Dog bites are most common in young children and it is actually estimated that approximately 50% of all children will be bitten by a dog at some time in their lives. Young boys aged five to nine are statistically most likely to be bitten by a dog. The dog nvolved is usually a family dog or one belonging to a friend or neighbour.
A dog bite is typically a puncture wound ( a narrow and deep or indeed a laceration ( a jagged wound or cut) or abrasion (a scraped area of skin) These wounds are caused because a dog will use their front teeth to "pin" their victim, and their other teeth to bite and pull at the surrounding skin.
Due to a child's size, most bites occur to faces and involve their lips, cheeks or nose. In adults, bites are usually to the hands, arms legs or feet.
It is important to seek medical help for all but the very minor cases as bites can easily become infected. The signs are:
It is particularly important to seek immediate medical assistance following a dog bite is you have a pre-existing condition that increases your chances of infection, such as diabetes, liver disease or HIV, or you are undergoing medical treatment that is known to weaken the immune system, such as chemotherapy.
Following a dog bite you should you should immediately clean the wound. You should remove any foreign bodies such as teeth from the bite, and run warm tap water over the wound for 10 minutes. Gently squeezing the wound will encourage it to bleed and this should be done, unless it is already bleeding freely. If you require pain relief, over-the-counter (OTC) painkillers such as ibuprofen or paracetamol are recommended.
Children under 16 should never be given aspirin because there is a small risk that aspirin could trigger a serious condition called Reyes syndrome that can damage the liver and brain.
In cases of serious bites, where a body part such as a finger or ear has been bitten off, you should wash the body part with tap water and place it in a plastic bag or a sealed container. Put the bag or container into a tub of iced water (but not frozen) to keep it cool, so that it can be transported to hospital. It may be possible to reattach the body part using reconstructive surgery.
If your bite wound is severe enough to require medical treatment, the wound will be cleaned, and any damaged or dead tissue will be removed (debridement).
If there is a risk that the wound may become infected, it will be left open. This makes it easy to keep the wound clean. If the risk of infection is thought to be low, the wound can be stitched up.
To prevent blood loss, wounds that bleed excessively will also be closed, despite the risk of infection.
If it is thought that there may be a risk of infection, antibiotics can be given as a precaution. Normally you will be given a seven-day course of oral antibiotics.
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