Bites Human And Animal
When to seek medical advice
Source: NHS
In this topic (6)
If the bite has broken the skin, you should seek immediate medical attention after cleaning the wound. Don't delay seeking help until symptoms of infection appear.
Minor bites can be treatedatyour GP surgery, or by staff atyour local walk-in centre or minor injuries unit . For particularly severe bites, visit your local accident and emergency (A&E) department .
The healthcare professional treating you may:
- clean the wound and remove any damaged tissue
- prescribe a course of antibiotics to prevent infection
- recommend specific treatment to prevent infectionssuch as tetanus if you're felt to be at risk
- close the wound with stitches if the risk of infection is thought to be low high-risk wounds will usually be left open as this means they're easier to keep clean
- arrange blood tests to check for infection, or an X-ray to check for any damage to your bones and see if there's anything embedded in your wound, such as a tooth
- refer you for an assessment by a specialist if the bite penetrated a joint, or there's severe damage, such as damage to bones or nerves surgery may be needed in these cases
- if you're bitten by a person with hepatitis or HIV , there's a tiny chance of the infection spreading if the bite is contaminated with blood, so you may be offered treatment to stop you becoming infected
When you return home, watch out forsigns of a possible infection.
Articles for Bites Human And Animal
How to avoid animal bites
Most animal bites are caused by dogs. The advice below may help reduce the chances of being bitten: never leave a young child unsupervised with a dog regardless of what type of dog it isand its prev
Introduction
Read about what to do if you've been bitten by an animal or person, what treatment you may need, and how to reduce your chances of being bitten.
Signs a bitemay be infected
Symptoms that suggest a wound has become infected include: redness and swelling around the wound the wound feels warm and increasingly painful liquid or pus leaks from the wound a fever of 38C (1
What to do if you've been bitten
If you've been bitten by an animal or another person: clean the wound immediately by running warm tap water over it for a couple of minutes it's a good idea to do this even if the skin doesn't appea
When do bites happen?
Although you may be more worriedabout bites fromwild and stray animals, any animal has the potential to bite. Many bites are actually caused by a person's own pet or an animal belonging to a friend o
When to seek medical advice
If the bite has broken the skin, you should seek immediate medical attention after cleaning the wound. Don't delay seeking help until symptoms of infection appear. Minor bites can be treatedatyour G
