Dog and Cat Bites

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, 'punctured' or dirty are best cleaned and assessed by a nurse or doctor. After cleaning, cover the wound with a sterile, non-sticky dressing.

Consider going to hospital or seeing a doctor

This is for the following reasons:

Wound care

The wound can be properly assessed and cleaned. 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. So, if in doubt, see a doctor or go to your local accident and emergency department.

Do not be surprised if the doctor does not stitch or close a dog or cat wound up immediately. For bites in many parts of the body it is common practice to wait for a few days before closing the wound, particularly if the wound is more than six hours old or on an arm or leg. This is to make sure the wound is not infected before closing it up. A wound that becomes infected that has been stitched or closed up can cause serious complications. After the wound is cleaned (and trimmed of dead or damaged tissue, where necessary), a sterile dressing is normally applied.

Large, severe or deep bites may require a formal operation to clean the wound and repair underlying structures that may be damaged, such as tendons.

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 are also prescribed for small bite wounds in certain situations. For example, if:

• The bite wound is on an arm or leg - especially a hand. These sites are particularly prone to nasty infections that can cause severe damage after a dog or cat bite.
• 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.

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 from 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 as soon as possible 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 urgently 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.