Dogs are domestic animals and their instinct is to bite. The question of why dogs die after biting someone has been asked many times.
When a dog bites, its teeth can cause cuts and punctures that can lead to infection. If left untreated, the infection may increase and be fatal.
This is why it’s important not to panic or irritate an injured dog as this may make them more agitated and aggressive.
Do dogs die after biting someone?
A dog’s teeth are sharp and can cause cuts and punctures to the skin. If these injuries go untreated, they may lead to an infection that could be fatal for the animal.
It’s important not to panic or irritate a dog after it bites someone because this usually makes them more agitated and aggressive.
The best thing you can do is to stay calm, gently restrain the dog, and monitor its breathing.
If you can see if the animal has any open wounds, make sure you clean them with soap and water before applying pressure or a bandage.
If your dog is unconscious, check its airway passages by rolling its tongue out of its mouth.
If they are still breathing after 10 minutes, they are probably fine to return home with you. However, if they stop breathing before then, call for help immediately. To learn more about dog care click here.
The infection you can get from dog bites
1) Rabies
The rabies virus is transmitted through saliva, which can be found in dogs This virus is fatal if it reaches the brain and causes encephalitis (inflammation of the brain).
Rabies is most often transmitted by an infected animal bite or scratch; however, the transmission may also occur if the saliva from an infected creature comes in contact with broken skin or mucous membranes (i.e., eyes, nose).
What makes Rabies so deadly?
- Rabies can be transferred to people from an infected animal’s saliva. It can also be passed on from a mother to her baby through breast milk or contact with skin.
- People who need treatment for Rabies are often given rabies vaccine which contains inactivated rabies virus. The shots go into the patient’s muscle or their veins and it takes 3 doses of vaccine over some time to get rid of Rabies.
- Usually within 10 days after infection. Symptoms include fever, headache, sore throat, agitation, and hallucinations which may lead to hydrophobia (fear of water) and eventually paralysis and death.
2) Staph & Strep
Staph and Strep are common bacteria that live on the skin and in the nose. Most of the time they do not cause any noticeable symptoms or cannot be easily treated.
- If a dog bites a person, he or she can get an infection called “staph”. The bacteria that causes the staph is called “strep”. If a person has this infection, it is very serious and they will have to go to the hospital for treatment.
- These two types of bacteria are often found on the skin or in the noses of healthy people without any symptoms, but they can cause severe infections in people who have already been weakened by other health problems.
- The skin of a human being is not as tough as that of a dog. The skin of a human being is thinner and has less hair on it, which makes it more prone to infections. This is why when a dog bites a human, the latter can get infected with bacteria from the animal’s mouth or teeth.
3) Cellulitis
- Cellulitis is the inflammation of tissues just under the skin surface. It is a relatively common illness in dogs, but cat owners need to know about it too.
- When a person gets bitten by a dog, the wounds may get infected. Cellulitis – an inflammatory condition of the deep fascia tissue – can develop from a dog bite infection within 3 to 5 days.
How do bacteria enter the body?
- Cellulitis can occur on any body surface that has an abundance of closed or open body folds, such as the armpit, elbow, groin, lip fold, or chest.
- Folds with hair are more likely to become infected with cellulitis than those without hair.
- Cellulitis often affects both sides of the dog’s body symmetrically at first and causes fever and pain when touched due to inflammation in nearby lymph nodes.
- Dogs have saliva which contains bacteria. When they bite things, the bacteria are left in their saliva and transferred to objects they bite or touch.
How to avoid infection after a dog bite someone?
Dogs are natural animals with an instinct to bite. This can be fatal if the dog has not been vaccinated and is infected with rabies, which leads to death. It’s important not to panic when a dog bites someone, as this will make them more aggressive. When faced with an injury from a dog bite several steps should be taken to avoid fatality.
1) Control the bleeding
It’s important to control the bleeding after a dog bite. You can use pressure or clean cloths to stop the bleeding if it hasn’t already stopped on its own. If you have something like an ice pack or towel, wrap it around the wound and apply pressure for 10 minutes.
2) Seek medical attention
It’s important to seek medical attention for any dog bite, even if it doesn’t seem serious. After 10 minutes of applying pressure, you should get yourself checked out by your doctor or take the person bitten by the dog there immediately. Dog carry many bacteria that can cause infections and other illnesses which is why it’s vital not to delay getting treatment when bitten by a canine. The longer you wait after being bitten, the more likely it is that infection will set in or other complications will arise causing you
What to do if you’re bitten by a dog
Dogs are domestic animals and their instinct is to bite. When a dog bites, its teeth can cause cuts and punctures that can lead to infection. If left untreated, the infection may spread and be fatal. This is why it’s important not to panic or irritate an injured dog as this may make them more agitated and aggressive.
It’s important not to panic if you’re bitten by a dog. If you are bitten, clean the wound with soap and water, apply pressure to the area for at least five minutes before bandaging it, contact your doctor or go to an urgent care facility for immediate treatment if possible, don’t use alcohol or peroxide on the wound as this will only aggravate it, try to take pictures of the dog who bit you in case there are other witnesses.
When caring for a dog after they have bitten someone, keep them calm and keep other people away from them during their first few days of recovery. Monitor their behaviour regularly so you can assess whether or not they are becoming aggressive again. It is also recommended that you place the dog in quarantine so they do not infect others who come into contact with them.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are a lot of things to consider when it comes to owning a dog and taking care of them. You need to make sure that they are well-fed and watered, and you also need to make sure that they’re well-exercised and given plenty of attention. As we all know, dogs don’t usually bite people without a reason; it’s usually due to either fear or aggression.
One way to avoid the death of a dog after biting someone is to make sure that you wash the wound thoroughly and take the person to the hospital to get checked out for any bacterial infections. The other thing you can do is to muzzle your dog when they’re in contact with people so that they don’t bite them in the future.
If you find yourself bitten by a dog, you should go to the hospital and get checked out for any bacterial infections, and if the person who bit you is uncooperative, then you must call the police and let them know about the incident.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Abhishek Tariyal
Abhishek Tariyal is a freelance Digital Marketer and content writer residing in Dehradun, Uttarakhand. Abhishek is passionate about writing engaging and informative content about tech, pets and any other category. He has a great experience in on-page SEO & off-page SEO, Web Development & Content Writing. Presently, he is doing SEO and Content Writing at Petrazi.com
