Is it possible to recognize a dog with rabies? Symptoms: local and general reaction to the bite

Dog bites are quite common. Despite the fact that a person has long tamed an animal and a dog is deservedly considered a friend of a person, the likelihood of being bitten always remains. Due to certain circumstances, even a domestic dog can attack, and even more so a stray dog. Therefore, every person should know what to do in such cases and what assistance to provide to the victim, since quite often bites can have serious consequences.

How dangerous is a dog bite?

In addition to being traumatic, a dog bite is also dangerous because it can lead to a disease such as rabies. It is dangerous because there is a huge risk fatal outcome. The rabies virus is transmitted from a dog to a person through saliva that gets into an open wound. Therefore, it is important to take appropriate measures in a timely manner to avoid severe consequences and reduce the likelihood of infection to a minimum.

In addition, it is necessary to distinguish between the severity of bites. They are:

punctured, characterized by damage skin, wherein soft fabrics remain intact;
torn, in which the epidermis is damaged, as well as muscle and connective tissues. Such wounds require immediate medical attention, such as stitches.

But no matter what kind of wound is formed after a dog bite, you need to consult a doctor.

And so, rabies is a disease, the virus of which, entering the human body, quickly penetrates into nerve cells, and after and up to the brain. Then the following appear, indicating the development of pathology:

convulsions;
hallucinations;
increased salivation;
fear of water and photophobia.

In the absence of proper medical care, respiratory paralysis develops. It should also be noted that once the disease is discovered, it is almost impossible to save the person; treatment in this case only alleviates the condition and does not save life.

In addition, from a dog bite you can become infected with sepsis, tetanus and a number of other infectious diseases.

After receiving deep lacerations, there is also a risk of large blood loss, psychological trauma, state of shock.

First aid

When providing assistance to a victim of a dog bite, first of all you need to understand what kind of animal committed the attack: domestic or stray, and it would also be good to observe it in the next few days. Now as for the victim himself. When open wound and bleeding from it, it is necessary to give time for the animal’s saliva to come out along with the blood, since it may contain pathogenic microorganisms And infectious bacteria. Then you need to wash the wound with warm soapy water (you should use laundry soap or hydrogen peroxide), and then treat with an antiseptic. The skin around the bite should be treated with hydrogen peroxide or brilliant green; if there is nothing on hand, then alcohol will do. After this, apply to the wound gauze bandage. To relieve pain and prevent shock, you can take analgesics and sedatives. If the wounds are serious enough that there is a possibility of bone damage, then the injured area must be immobilized and immobilized.

After providing first aid, the victim must be taken to the hospital, and if the wounds are numerous and quite serious, then ambulance call immediately.

In the hospital, the wound is treated and, if necessary, stitches are applied.

After a dog bite, the victim is prescribed special rabies injections, which are given on certain days and their number is six injections, which are absolutely safe and have no contraindications.

If a dog bites a child

Children are more likely than adults to be attacked by dogs. There are many reasons for this, but the most important thing, after the fact, is timely and the right help. The absence of panic (which is very difficult to expect from adults whose children have been injured) helps to avoid serious complications, and in some cases, save the child’s life. Therefore, it is very important to remain calm and the right actions perform a first aid.

First of all, the wound is examined and its severity is determined; lacerations in the head and neck area are especially dangerous, where there is a real threat of bleeding and closed fractures. Therefore, the child should be helped and taken to the clinic.

First aid includes:

washing the wound aqueous solution from laundry soap;
treating the injury site with an antiseptic;
treating the surrounding skin with iodine;
applying a sterile dressing.

If the wound is not too serious, then after examination by a doctor and stitches (if necessary), it is recommended to apply antiseptic ointments to its surface. You can use Levomekol or Betadine.

If necessary, if there is a risk of infection in the child’s body, he is also prescribed a special vaccine. In this case, you shouldn’t be scared; it’s easier to get several injections of serum than to deal with serious illnesses, which in most cases medicine is not able to cope with, especially since modern science I took a good step forward and now instead of forty injections, six are quite enough.

In addition to administering the vaccine, a course of antibiotics may also be prescribed; this is necessary if there is a real threat of infection.

Children who have been bitten by a dog may develop psychological problems, such as panic fear of animals, stuttering, sleep disorder and other symptoms. In this case, a big role is given to the parents, who must restore emotional balance to the child, and if they cannot cope on their own, it is necessary to contact a specialist.

First of all, of course, it is better to avoid fights altogether. Be courageous - lead your beloved and adored friend on a leash. Even if it's the size of a cat. Even if “it never bites anyone.” If he bites, a dog is a dog! And after that, it doesn’t matter whether she’s protecting you from “enemies” or she just didn’t like someone’s new collar with rhinestones. So, keep your dog on a leash; an aggressive dog must be muzzled. Please respect yourself and others!

If the dogs do get into a fight, you need to act quickly, sensibly and calmly. Screaming loudly and kicking dogs is useless - it will only irritate them, and you will waste precious time. It is highly not recommended to separate your opponents by their collars or pull their ears - in this case there is every chance of being bitten by your own dog! In the heat of battle, your beloved dog simply won’t have time to tell where your hands are and where the enemy’s neck is. You can try to pull small fighters away by their tails or hind legs. If your lapdog is being held by the neck by a neighbor’s pit bull, or the dogs are quite large, you need to try (preferably with the help of a neighbor-owner) to unclench the teeth of a stronger opponent with a stick. By the way, the “peacekeepers” themselves often start a verbal altercation, or even a fight. This is not an option! You will sort things out later - and it is better not to become like dogs.

Let's assume you are already at home. Calm down and get on with your inspection. As a rule, if the fighters were approximately the same size, everything is limited to bite wounds. Most often this is the area of the neck, shoulder blades and root of the tail. The fur around the wounds must be cut (or shaved)! There is no point in pouring hydrogen peroxide (or any other miraculous remedy) onto the fur: if fangs get under the skin (that is, it is bitten), microbes will inevitably get in as well. And you don’t need to tell the doctor later, when you bring your dog with an abscess (purulent inflammation of the subcutaneous layer), that you treated the wound.

After cutting, the wounds must be washed. To do this, you can use chlorhexidine or miramistin (they, by the way, are available in convenient syringe bottles), but “potassium permanganate” will also work. The solution is injected from a syringe without a needle (or from the aforementioned syringe) directly into the subcutaneous “pocket” through the wound holes. They look like “punctures”. The dog has four fangs, so you need to look for “paired” holes - from upper canines and from the lower ones. All wounds must be treated. Further, such treatments are repeated daily until the wounds are completely healed from the inside. Usually, starting from the third day, anti-inflammatory and wound healing ointments(for example, “Solcoseryl” or “Levomekol”). Once again, wounds must heal from the inside.

Superficial damage (abrasions) are treated with brilliant green or iodine. You can use sprays (“Terramycin”, “Alu-spray”). The dog should not “lick” the wound! To protect damaged areas, a “Catherine’s” collar is used - a plastic cone placed around the dog’s neck and preventing it from “self-medicating”, since your pet’s tongue is not sterile (there are more bacteria in the mouth than in the rectum).
In case of large gaping wounds, visible heavy bleeding or traumatic shock(shortness of breath, dilated pupils, howling, or, on the contrary, a state of prostration) is necessary immediate help specialist It’s up to you: you can call a doctor at home or go to a clinic. But you need to keep in mind that the time is counted in hours, and sometimes in minutes. It is better to store the addresses and telephone numbers of the veterinary services closest to you in the dog’s documents so that, if necessary, help can be provided as soon as possible. Veterinarian will carry out anti-shock therapy, treat wounds, and apply stitches if necessary.

Dog - best friend person. Most people certainly agree with this statement. Indeed, the devotion of this animal has become the talk of the town. However, despite its wonderful qualities, a dog can cause significant harm to a person - bite. Everyone should know what to do if attacked by a dog, how to minimize the harm from an encounter with an aggressive animal, and how to treat the consequences of bites.

Why is a dog bite dangerous?

More than 150 thousand Russians apply for medical care after attacks and dog bites. Dozens of people die from rabies transmitted by dog bites. Cases of dog aggression are increasing in summer period, and people suffer more from pets than from homeless people. Most often, adult men and children receive bites: children aged two to four years and adolescents aged 10–14 years.

The worst bites from dogs of fighting and some service breeds are: German Shepherds, bull terriers, rottweilers, pit bulls, dobermans. The bite force of these animals is very strong and they cause serious damage.

A dog bite is an injury, the danger of which depends on many factors:

Bite forces - wounds can be different:
- superficial (pricked), when the integrity of the skin is slightly compromised; such injuries, in the absence of complications, heal quite quickly;
- torn, when the bites are much deeper - soft tissues can be torn, and in some especially severe cases, joints, bones, and ligaments are damaged.
Bite sites: in adults, most often the legs (ankles) and arms (hands and forearms) are affected; children can be bitten by dogs on the neck, face, or head. The most dangerous injuries are in the neck and head; deep wounds in these places can be fatal.
Health conditions of the dog - with the saliva of an aggressive animal, various bacteria and viruses enter the wound, among which the most dangerous is the rabies virus.

The most dangerous dog bites are to the neck, head and face.

Rabies is a serious disease that is transmitted through the saliva of a sick animal. The disease is 100% fatal. You can become infected with the virus not only if saliva gets into a bite wound, but also if you salivate on damaged skin or mucous membranes.

It is worth knowing that the virus is contained in the animal’s secretions 8–10 days before visible symptoms diseases. Therefore, with a bite from any dog, even a seemingly healthy one, it is imperative to contact medical institution.

The fact that a dog is sick can be determined by its appearance and behavior:

drooling, foaming from the mouth;
drooping of the lower jaw;
vomiting;
periodic seizures;
hoarse, muffled barking.

It is likely that an aggressive dog whose jaw drops, drools excessively, and experiences seizures, has rabies

The dog is excited, aggressive, ready to attack, and may chew the ground or objects in its field of vision.

What is the likelihood of contracting rabies from a sick animal? This directly depends on what part of the body the bite occurred on. If the neck or facial tissue is damaged, then the possibility of getting sick is very high and amounts to 90%. When bitten on the hand, the probability of infection is 50–60%; if the lower leg, shoulder or thigh is injured, then the percentage is even lower - about 20.

In addition to rabies infection, after a bite there is a high probability of developing tetanus, the causative agent of which can be present in the soil, on various objects and can easily get into the wound. Tetanus is a disease whose prognosis is always disappointing.

In addition to the possibility of contracting tetanus or rabies, dog bites can have the following consequences:

Significant blood loss if the wounds are very serious; Large arteries may be ruptured or organs may be damaged with the development of internal bleeding.
Wound infection - occurs in 15–20% of all bites; more often it is a local purulent-inflammatory process, in in rare cases- systemic infection with the development of a serious complication - sepsis. There are many different microorganisms in a dog's mouth that are pathogenic to humans. When microbes enter a wound, they cause infection. Depending on the type of pathogens that have entered the wound and the condition immune system affected development time inflammatory reaction varies from 8 to 24 hours.
Psychological trauma. Attack aggressive dog especially dangerous for children, pregnant women and the elderly. Weak children, old people and women are not able to actively fight back the animal, which is why high risk serious damage. In addition, bites threaten consequences in the form of shock in the child and the threat of termination of pregnancy in expectant mother. A bite from an elderly person can result in a heart attack, requiring immediate attention.

Symptoms: local and general reaction to the bite

IN best case scenario, if the dog is not very large and the bite fell on a part of the body covered by thick clothing, you can only get away with hematomas from the compression of soft tissues by the teeth without damaging the skin. Even a weak dog bite is quite painful; with severe injuries, the pain is very pronounced.

Puncture wound - punctures of the skin with minor bleeding which is easy to stop. After the bleeding stops, the wound may ooze, edema (swelling) and redness, a rash in the form of small pimples, the skin may itch or, conversely, become insensitive (numbness). These signs indicate that the bite is quite deep and an inflammatory reaction is developing. ABOUT purulent process may indicate increased pain, swelling, discharge from the wound with characteristic odor, and these symptoms appear several hours after the bite. Nearby lymph nodes enlarge and join general weakness, fever.

A dog can inflict it with its teeth puncture wounds and abrasions - such injuries, in the absence of infection, are easier to treat than lacerations

Lacerations are accompanied heavy bleeding, pain, severe weakness and malaise, is possible pain shock. The likelihood of infection with such injuries is much higher.

Tissue damage from bites large dogs can be very significant

If the bitten dog had rabies, the first signs of infection in a person can be detected within a week after the attack. Time initial manifestations The disease is associated with the location of the bite, the depth and extent of the injury. The closer the damage is to the head (brain), the sooner symptoms will appear.

The first period of the disease is short - only 1-2 days, it manifests itself as follows:

pain occurs again in the area of the healed bite;
body temperature may increase;
bothered by headache and severe weakness;
the infected person becomes irritable, depressed, loses appetite, and develops causeless anxiety, fear, melancholy, sleep disturbance.

Further development diseases leads to irreversible damage work of the most important centers (respiratory and vasomotor) and the patient dies.

The most terrible consequence dog bite - infection fatal disease rabies

Prodromal phenomena characteristic of rabies are similar to the first signs no less dangerous disease- tetanus. Incubation period this heavy infectious disease lasts from a week to a month. The patient develops dull nagging pain At the site of injury, surrounding muscles may tense and twitch. During this period, the patient may complain of weakness, headache, sweating, loss of appetite. Then the symptoms characteristic of the disease appear - tension and cramps of the masticatory and facial muscles (trismus and “sardonic smile”), painful difficulty swallowing, strong tension muscles of the back of the head. Further development of the infection is manifested by tetanic (generalized) convulsions - strong involuntary contractions skeletal muscles, while the patient feels excruciating pain. In the worst cases, tetanus can lead to muscle tears, compression fractures spine, asphyxia and cardiac arrest.

What to do in case of a bite wound

If the bite does not produce blood, and the dog simply squeezed the soft tissue tightly with its teeth, it is enough to wash off the saliva that has got on the skin with a stream of water and soap, disinfect the area with any available antiseptic (hydrogen peroxide, chlorhexidine, alcohol) and apply cold.

With any bite that draws blood, even if a pet that has received vaccinations has shown aggression, you must contact the nearest medical facility - emergency room, clinic, hospital. Extensive lacerations, especially in the head area, require first aid and immediate calling an ambulance. Timely treatment and prevention of rabies and tetanus can save the victim’s life.

First aid

Before a bitten person is sent to the hospital or an ambulance arrives, certain manipulations must be carried out. Algorithm of actions:

Rinse the wound thoroughly. To do this, you need a stream of water and soap. The best option- laundry soap (the rabies virus dies in an alkaline environment) or liquid soap, detergent(Not washing powder!), which is needed in large quantities dissolve in cool boiled water. If you don't have one, you can use clean bottled or tap water. The liquid should not be too warm, so as not to provoke even more bleeding, and very cold, so as not to cause a sharp vascular spasm.
After a bite, the wound must be washed with water and soap, preferably household soap.
If the bleeding is not too massive and large parts are not damaged great vessels, you need to allow blood to flow freely from the wound so that impurities are washed out along with it.
Treating the bite. The wound (cavity) itself can be disinfected with a 3% solution of hydrogen peroxide, the edges of the damage must be treated with any available antiseptic: an iodine-containing preparation (5% iodine solution, Betadine), 70% ethyl alcohol, Miramistin, Chlorhexidine.
After washing soapy water the bite wound should be washed with a 3% hydrogen peroxide solution
Apply a bandage to the wound, preferably sterile: bandage, napkin, gauze. If there is no sterile material or bandages, you can apply a clean cotton cloth and bandage it loosely.
After treating the wound, it is necessary to apply a bandage to it, preferably a sterile one.
Severe bleeding should be stopped by applying a tourniquet or bending the affected limb as much as possible. Elevating the injured arm or leg will also help.

The wound must not be cauterized, any ointments applied, tightly bandaged, napkins, bandages, etc. placed in the cavity.

Further treatment

Upon arrival at the hospital, the patient is treated for bites:

scratches, abrasions, small puncture wounds are treated with an antiseptic and a sterile bandage is applied;
deep lacerations are subject to PSO (primary surgical treatment):
- under local or general anesthesia removed from the wound foreign objects, blood clots, dead tissue;
- treat the cavity antiseptic solutions.

To prevent secondary infection, sutures are not applied to bite wounds. Suturing large vessels in case of massive bleeding or torn tissue with very extensive damage. In this case, primary sutures are applied with a drainage-washing system, secondary sutures are applied, or skin grafting is performed. The latter is indicated for elimination cosmetic defects- if the bites occurred on the soft tissues of the face.

Small bite wounds are treated with antiseptics and no stitches are applied.

According to indications, diagnostic measures can be carried out:

taking swabs for bacteriological research material;
blood sampling to identify infectious agents;
ultrasonic or x-ray examination if there is a suspicion of presence deep in the wound foreign body or injury to bones and joints.

After the measures taken, the patient may be sent home or offered hospitalization. Indications for inpatient treatment are the following states:

extensive deep damage;
signs of wound infection (fever, swelling and redness of surrounding tissues, purulent discharge);
infection with dangerous pathogens;
immunodeficiency state of the patient.

Along with local treatment, the patient is given systemic therapy, including antibiotics - with dog bites Amoxiclav or Augmentin, Ceftriaxone or Ciprofloxacin, Lincomycin are prescribed. Antibiotic therapy lasts 7 days.

The decision to use is decided by the doctor on an individual basis; Usually, for dog bites, penicillin or cephalosporin drugs are prescribed

If treatment is carried out in a hospital, the victim is prescribed intravenous drip administration physiological or 5% glucose solution. At large blood loss- blood substitutes.

At home for prevention purulent inflammation you can use rinsing with a 1% solution of Dioxidin, apply syntomycin emulsion to the wound. Change the dressing as needed.

Video - what to do if bitten by a dog

Preventive vaccination

After an attack or dog bite, the victim must undergo anti-rabies vaccination and administration antitetanus serum. Rabies vaccination is not given if the aggressor is domestic dog, vaccinated against rabies, and the owner has documentary evidence of this fact.

A patient bitten by a stray or unvaccinated domestic dog can be given rabies immunoglobulin (before using the vaccine), if no more than 72 hours have passed since the attack. Immunoglobulin, which is ready-made antibodies that neutralize the virus, is injected around the wound and into its depth. This method is used if the damage occurs in the neck, face, head, genitals, or in case of very deep wounds regardless of location, and also in the case when the saliva of the attacking dog gets on the mucous membranes, for example, in the eye or mouth.

Rabies vaccine (a weakened virus that stimulates the production of antibodies to the pathogen) is injected intramuscularly into the shoulder. The course consists of only 6 procedures according to the scheme: after the first injection 2 days should pass, after the second - 3 days, next vaccination done on the 14th day after the first injection, then on the 30th and 90th day.

The course of vaccinations against rabies consists of 6 injections according to a specific scheme

The number of injections depends on the information about the bitten dog. It is recommended to monitor the animal that attacked for 10 days. If during this time the dog does not become ill with rabies, the victim receives only 3 injections of the rabies vaccine. In the event of the death of an animal or the impossibility of obtaining data about it, a full course vaccinations. The victim must undergo treatment regardless of the time of treatment, even if several months have passed since the incident.

There may be adverse reactions to the vaccine:

fever;
headache;
swelling of the cervical and axillary lymph nodes;
locally - pain, swelling and redness at the injection site.

After administration of immunoglobulin, complications are possible:

development of a local allergic reaction (after 1–2 days);
anaphylactic shock;
serum sickness (a week after the injection).

Therefore, the sites for vaccination and immunoglobulin administration should be equipped with anti-shock measures, and the patient after injections should be monitored by medical staff for 30 minutes.

During the course of treatment and six months later, you should not use alcoholic drinks, overheating and hypothermia, performing hard physical work.

Video - how to protect yourself from rabies

Traditional methods of treating bites

Alternative treatment cannot replace a visit to the doctor. Apply folk recipes only possible as an addition to traditional methods therapy for dog bites.

Traditional healers offer different variants treatment of bite wounds: local compresses, taking herbal infusions and decoctions inside. In any case, the wound must first be thoroughly washed with soap. Then you can make lotions or compresses using:

saline solution (1 large spoon per liter of boiled water);
diluted 1:1 alcohol tincture propolis;
fresh aloe juice;
a mixture of garlic, onion and salt (1 tablespoon each of grated onion and garlic with the addition of a teaspoon of salt);
onion gruel with honey (1 chopped onion mixed with a tablespoon of honey);
fresh nettle, crushed to a homogeneous pulp with the addition of salt;
mashed leaves of meadowsweet (shelomaynik) or plantain;
dry herb powder;
herbal infusion:
- 1 tbsp. mix a spoonful of St. John's wort with 2 tbsp. spoons of yarrow, pour boiling water (300 ml), let brew for 2-3 hours; strain and apply gauze pads soaked in the product to the wound;
infusion of eucalyptus or calendula flowers (20 g of dry raw materials per 300 ml of boiling water).

These products can only be used for minor puncture injuries. Co lacerations You must definitely go to the hospital.

You can take decoctions and infusions of herbs with wound-healing and bactericidal effects internally.

Clove infusion:

Steam dry clove buds (10–15 pieces) in a glass of boiling water.
Leave for 1.5–2 hours, strain.
Take 1 large spoon three times a day before meals.

Infusion of sweet clover herb:

For a glass of boiling water you need to take 1 teaspoon of the plant and leave for 6 hours.
Drink a tablespoon of medicine 3 times a day before meals.

Immortelle infusion:

Pour boiling water (250 ml) over 10 g of dry raw material and leave for an hour.
Take 1 large spoon three times a day half an hour before meals.

Photo gallery - unconventional treatment of wounds from dog bites

Immortelle is used to treat dog bites both externally and internally. Cloves have disinfectant and wound healing properties, so its infusion is used to treat dog bites Sweet clover is used as a wound healing agent Ground nettle leaves are applied to the bite site
Onion-honey mixture is used to treat bites as an anti-inflammatory agent Fresh leaves plantain or juice from them is applied to bite wounds for healing Aloe juice has powerful anti-inflammatory and regenerating properties Calendula is famous for its anti-inflammatory properties, so it is used to treat wounds, including bites.

Food for the victim

There is no need to follow a special diet after a dog bite. Nutrition should be complete, rich in vitamins and minerals in order to accelerate the regeneration of damaged tissues. You need to consume foods with high content vitamins B, C, A, E, K and D.

In the first days after strong bites Taking into account the possibility of developing an inflammatory reaction, acidosis and edema in the area of injury, it is advisable to eat alkalizing foods (vegetables and fruits) and somewhat limit salt in the diet.

protein sources:
- veal, turkey, chicken, dairy and fermented milk products;
correct carbohydrates:
- fresh fruits, vegetables (including legumes and leafy ones), berries, whole grain bread, cereals;

Like this beautiful dog at Akan's 🙂

Hello friends, I recently received a letter from my regular viewer and reader, his name is Akan. He asked me to tell me how to treat a dog’s wound; the nearest veterinarian is more than 160 km away, so he cannot show the dog to a doctor.

Of course, you should not self-medicate; if you have the opportunity to take the animal to the clinic, then it is better to do this, but there are hopeless situations when you have to act on your own.

In this article I will try to tell you how you can treat a dog’s wound so as not to harm at least, but to help at most.

So, Akan’s dog was attacked by a large alabai and made several wounds on the head, the wounds festered. These photographs clearly show the damage.

Head wounds after bites

Treatment of the wound

In such cases, you need to cut the hair around the bites, especially if it is thick and long. If this is not done, then the discharge from the wound will collect in large icicles, and dermatitis will appear on the skin underneath them, which will add to the problems.

Trim the hair around the wound

Then the wound should be washed with 3% hydrogen peroxide. To do this, it is more convenient to use a regular disposable syringe without a needle, which must be inserted into the wound and washed out the pus.

Be prepared for a lot of foam to form and it may be painful for your dog. But such an unpleasant procedure must be done. Peroxide removes pus well and is not too aggressive on living tissue.

Remove everything that was washed from the wound using clean gauze napkins; the edges of the wound can be slightly squeezed for better cleansing.

Syringe with piston removed

After this, inject levomekol ointment into the wound, again using a syringe without a needle. To quickly and conveniently draw ointment into the syringe, you need to remove the plunger, squeeze Levomekol into the syringe and return the plunger to its place.

How often should a wound be treated? Start with twice a day and then work your way up as it heals. If the discharge becomes less, you can rinse with peroxide once a day and apply the ointment twice - in the morning and in the evening.

What not to do

Do not pour alcohol, vodka, brilliant green, iodine or other substances containing alcohol into the wound. I know from experience that many people use alcohol to disinfect wounds, but such treatment will not kill all microbes, and there will be tissue burns. As a result, healing will slow down and you will end up with a large scar.

Can't sew tightly purulent wound, the pus must come out somewhere and it will find its way in any case. If the injury occurred a long time ago, then without prior surgical treatment It’s better not to sew at all.

There is no need to let your dog lick the wound, especially if it has a sore throat, which is common. Indeed, many people use similar method treatment is to let the dog lick the sore or cut, but this method is not always safe.

Danger signs

Be sure to monitor the general condition of the dog during treatment. If you notice that there is thirst, depression, convulsions, involuntary twitching of the limbs, then you need to see a doctor in any case. Or prescribe antibiotics at your own risk wide range actions.

Also danger signs: appearance putrid smell, severe swelling around the wound.

It is important to remember that if a dog bites you, it can become infected with a virus, which is also dangerous for your life. Therefore, if your dog is not vaccinated, it needs to be vaccinated within 36 hours after the bite, no later.

Conclusion

Friends, it’s clear what I described general principles, how you can treat a dog’s wound, and each case may have its own nuances. For example, if there is bleeding, the first thing you need to do is eliminate it. If the wound is not deep, then you can trim the hair around it and use powder with idoform or its equivalent.

In more severe cases, it is necessary to surgically widen the wound, remove pockets, apply novocaine blockades, install drainage, but without experience such treatment methods are dangerous, so I did not mention them.

What surprises await your dog on a walk? It is quite possible that an unwanted encounter with a neighbor's dog will end in a fight. A cat can be bitten by bullies in the country. The results of fights - bite wounds in a dog or cat are not as harmless as they might seem at first glance.

Bite wounds always involve crushed tissue, tissue tearing, vascular damage, and puncture wounds from the teeth.

Small wounds - marks from fangs often go unnoticed. Or the owner does not give them of great importance. But simply treating such a wound with iodine will not help. IN oral cavity animals is located great amount microorganisms that enter the wound and begin their pathogenic effects. Wounds are dangerous because if poorly treated, the skin defect is covered with a crust (often the crust is a mixture of sticky wool and ichor). And exudate accumulates under the skin, which after a while will become purulent. 3-5 days after the bite, the dog becomes lethargic, the temperature may rise, and the bite site is painful and hot.

Wounds with profuse bleeding in the abdominal and chest cavity require urgent appeal to the veterinarian. It happens that the damage to the skin in the chest area is minor, but under the skin, as a result of the bite, the muscles are torn and there is an entrance to pleural cavity. Such wounds are life-threatening. Help must be provided as soon as possible.

At large area damage required antishock therapy– drip administration of solutions and administration of cardiac drugs.

With bite wounds on the limbs, the dog may not step on the paw, and only an x-ray will help find out why: because of pain in the wound or because of a fracture.

Cat wounds, bites and scratches, are most often localized in the head area. Scratches in the cheek area that are unnoticeable at first glance can lead to serious complication- subcutaneous phlegmon. And untreated wounds in the ear area lead to otitis media, due to the fact that the discharge from the wound flows into the ear canal.

How to treat a wound on an animal?

Before visiting a doctor, you can give your pet first aid. Gently trim the hair around the wound, rinse the wound with hydrogen peroxide or chlorhexidine, apply a clean cloth to the wound and bandage it. At heavy bleeding on the limbs, apply a tourniquet above the wound or simply press the wound firmly through a napkin (or a clean handkerchief) with your fingers.

Different wounds - different approach

Before deciding how best to treat the wound, the doctor shaves the hair around it and thoroughly rinses the wound and subcutaneous pockets with antiseptic solutions. Fresh wounds (up to 8 hours) can be sutured (provided there are no large subcutaneous pockets). In case of correct and good processing and provided good care, fresh wounds heal in 7-10 days. If you came a day or later after the bite, then after standard treatment you may need to remove dead tissue and install drains (gauze or tubular). You can change and wash drains yourself at home. A course of antibiotics must be prescribed and, if required, general state dogs and vitamins. Wounds with complications that are not treated on time take longer to heal; the healing process can take 2-4 weeks.

Caring for a bitten dog

The doctor treated the wound, now the most important thing is up to you - proper care pledge quick recovery and healing. The first thing your pet will try to do at home is to rip off the bandage and lick the wound. It is important to prevent this from happening, especially if the wound has stitches. There will be no stitches the second time; the wound will take a long time to heal. Buy a protective collar and watch your pet so that he doesn’t get to the sore spot. The first treatment of the wound can be done at the veterinary clinic, or it can be done by you. At your first appointment, ask the doctor in detail how to treat the wound, write everything down (or the doctor will write everything down for you in detail). At home, two people need to treat the wound. The assistant will fix the animal, and you will process it. There is no need to be nervous, you will succeed. Try to act quickly, accurately and accurately. Prepare everything in advance so as not to be distracted during processing. Place open bottles with solutions away from the animal. If the dog or cat jerks suddenly, the bottles may fall and break.