What to Do If Injured As a Result of a Dog Bite

The incidences of a dog biting humans in the United States are low. Unless attacked or provoked, dogs do not typically attack human beings. When an attack does occur however, it is important to know what to do in order to survive.

In the event of a dog attack that results in a dog bite, you should try to remain calm. Remaining calm will give you the time to assess the situation and take action. If you begin to panic, your brain releases hormones that trigger a fight or flight response. This hormone activity will feel like a burst of energy, which is good if it results you getting away from the situation. It is not good if you fail to act and the rush of adrenaline causes you to panic.

It is in the calm state that you should quickly determine whether the dog has an owner. Absent the presence of anyone yelling commands to the dog, you should look for a collar or identification collar. This is helpful because it may tell you if the dog is merely a stray or if it has identification, who the owner is. Your concern here is if the dog has any diseases, such as rabies. Rabies, if untreated in humans, causes the brain to seizure and eventually will lead to death.

Next, assess the severity of your injury and whether or not the skin has been punctured. You are going to need to seek medical attention immediately after the attack, regardless of the severity of your injuries. A determination needs to be made whether or not the dog that attacked you has rabies. If the dog can be subdued by another person or if the dog owner is in the vicinity, it will need to be held by an animal control officer.

Staying calm will also allow your brain to take a mental picture of the animal. This picture can be used to provide law enforcement with a description of the animal and the direction it may have gone after it attacked you. If you are in an area that is unfamiliar to you or the dog is an animal that you do not know, the police, together with animal control, will need to know where to search. A stray animal that commits an unprovoked attack presents a danger to other people. The sooner the animal can be subdued and quarantined, the better for you.

Get to the nearest urgent care facility or hospital as soon as possible after the attack. If you are with another person, have him or her explain the situation to the nurse or attending physician. They will need as much information as you can provide about the animal that attacked in order to stave off any potential rabies, as well as treat the injury you receive. If the police or animal control is unable to capture the animal in a short period, you will need to submit to a series of shots in order to combat getting rabies.

Be sure to follow these tips if you ever find yourself in a situation where you are injured due to a dog attack. These tips will get you assistance and save not only your life but also potentially some other person who could be a potential victim of this animal.