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Dog bite injuries often get infected

On Behalf of | Aug 19, 2022 | Dog Bites |

If you’ve been bitten by a dog, or if you have a child who has suffered an injury, it’s important to get medical care as quickly as possible. This can mean simply washing the wound and bandaging it at the house, but you may need to visit a medical center. If the wound is serious at all, it’s always best to get the input of a doctor and have them examine it.

The problem with doing it yourself is that puncture wounds are very hard to clean. Washing it out at home may not be enough. Plus, puncture wounds also tend to bleed less. Bleeding is a natural way for a wound to clean itself, so less bleeding may make the injury appear to be less serious, but it’s actually making the situation worse.

What this means is that a deep puncture wound is likely to trap bacteria and other debris at the time of the bite. A surface wound may look more severe, but being so exposed means that it’s not hiding anything. With its hidden bacteria and other issues, a puncture wound needs to be cleaned out quickly, or can lead to an infection.

Signs of infection

If a bite has become infected, you’ll likely notice that the pain is increasing with time, rather than decreasing. You may also see redness in the area or even red streaks leading away from the bite wound.

An infected wound may have pus or another type of discharge, and it will simply not appear to be getting better over time. When an infection gets to be very serious, it can even lead to things like a fever or other physical reactions from your body. In the worst cases, infections can turn into issues like sepsis, which could potentially be fatal.

What is the real cost?

Of course, if you go see medical professionals right away, you severely lower the risk of infection – or they can help you if an infection has already set it. This can be very costly, however. Some dog bite infections can lead to severe complications and the need for extensive medical care.

If you find yourself in this position, you need to know if you have a right to seek financial compensation.