Animal and Human Bites Treatment

Read more about...

The bite wound will be cleansed, treated with a topical antibiotic such as Betadine, bacitracin, or Neosporin, and bandaged. You will probably be instructed to change the dressing daily, with a new application of antibiotic at each change. Depending on the nature and location of the bite, the wound may be stitched closed. If the wound is very deep, involves the hands or knuckles, or involves damage to tendons that must be repaired, surgery may be recommended to thoroughly clean the affected tissues and close the wound before bandaging. Even wounds that look small and / or clean must be meticulously cleansed using high-pressure washing. If you are bitten by an animal with long incisor teeth, the site of the injury will have to be carefully explored in case there is deep injury that is not readily visible. A wound culture may be ordered to check for infection organisms.

After emergency first aid has been administered, you may be given an injection to update your immunity to tetanus. Tetanus is a deep infection, as the organism that causes it proliferates where little access to air or oxygen is. It is rarely a problem with superficial wounds, but in accordance with the "better-safe-than-sorry" rule, your doctor will probably recommended a tetanus shot if it has been more than five years since you last had one.

If you are bitten by an animal, the issue of rabies will have to be considered. A bite from a rabid animal is life threatening unless you receive immediate medical treatment. The types of animals that are most likely to carry this disease vary somewhat from one area of the country to another, but, in general, the possibility of rabies is of particular concern in bites from raccoons, skunks, foxes, coyotes, and bats. Rabbits and rodents, including squirrels, as well as dogs, cats, and ferrets, are somewhat less likely to be infected. Regardless of the type of animal involved, however unless its owner has proof that it has been vaccinated against rabies, it will have to be quarantined for observation (for household pets) or euthanized and autopsied (for wild animals). If neither of these measures is possible, you will have to receive a series of rabies injections over a period of twenty-eight days and possibly again at ninety days. There are different types of injections available for this purpose, rabies immune globulin for passive immunization, and a vaccine either human- or horse-derived, for active immunization. Sometimes these two approaches are used in conjunction with one another. If the equine version is the only type of vaccine available, you should first be tested for sensitivity to it.

Once the wound is thoroughly cleansed and bandaged, and any necessary immunizations have been given, an oral antibiotic such as ampicillin, cephalexin clindamycin, or dicloxacillin may be prescribed to prevent infections can be resistant to treatment. Once the results of the wound culture come back, your doctor may switch you to a more appropriate antibiotic.

chemotherapy | genital warts
Medical Info