Dog and Cat Bites

About 200,000 dog bites occur each year in the UK. Cat bites are less common. This leaflet gives a guide as to what you should do following a bite.

Clean the wound

You should clean the wound no matter how small the cut to the skin. There are many bacteria (germs) in animal mouths. Cleaning will reduce the chance of infection. If the wound is small, you can clean it yourself. Just use ordinary tap water. (There is concern that antiseptics may damage skin tissue and delay healing.) Wounds that are large, deep, or dirty are best cleaned by a nurse or doctor. After cleaning, cover the wound with a sterile, non-sticky dressing.

Consider going to hospital or seeing a doctor

Wound care
If part of the wound has dead or damaged skin then it may need to be 'trimmed' or removed. This is because dead skin is ideal for infection to develop. Gaping wounds may need to be stitched, glued, or pulled together with sticky tape. Open cuts to the face or head will usually be closed as soon as possible. For cuts to other parts of the body, sometimes a doctor may advise to wait for a few days before closing the wound, particularly if the wound is more than six hours old. This is to make sure the wound is not infected before closing it up.

Antibiotics
A short course of antibiotics may be prescribed to prevent infection developing in wounds which are large, deep, or 'punctured'. A puncture wound may not look large but may go deep into the tissues. Antibiotics may also be prescribed for small bite wounds if:

• The bite wound is on the face, hand or foot.
• Your resistance to infection is low. For example, if you: are on chemotherapy; have no working spleen; have diabetes; have an immune system problem such as AIDS, etc.
• You have an artificial heart valve (and sometimes, if you have an artificial joint).

Tetanus
Are you up to date with your tetanus immunisations? If not, you may need a booster dose.

Rabies
This is a serious illness passed to humans from some animal bites. At present the UK is free from rabies. Animal bites (particularly dog bites) that occur abroad have a risk of rabies. When abroad, take seriously even the most tiny of dog bites, or a lick from a dog over a cut or wound. If needed, treatment straight after a bite can prevent rabies form developing.

What to look out for after a dog or cat bite

The most common complication following a bite is an infection of the wound. See a doctor if the skin surrounding a wound becomes more tender, painful, swollen, or inflamed over the next few days. Rarely, some bacteria can get into the bloodstream through a wound and cause a serious infection in the body. See a doctor if you become generally unwell with fever (high temperature), shivers, or other worrying symptoms within a week or so after a dog or cat bite.

© EMIS and PIP 2006   Updated: June 2006   PRODIGY Validated