Identifying Infections in Dog Bite Injuries
I’m Ed Smith, a Fairfield dog bite lawyer. Lots of people are used to having friendly pets such as dogs and cats around and don’t think of pets as potentially dangerous. However, even the most friendly animals are liable to become aggressive and lash out when they are provoked, or some other stressful circumstance happens. While dogs bite people for a wide variety of reasons, being bitten by a dog always comes with the risk of the wound becoming infected. Because of this, it is essential to know what causes dog bite infections to occur. The following blog covers this topic.
What Causes Dog Bite Infections
When a wound breaks the skin, there is always the possibility that bacteria can enter a person’s body at the site of the injury. This is even more likely in the case of a dog bite because animal mouths are filled with many different bacteria, some of which are healthy to it. However, the bacteria in a dog’s mouth can be harmful to humans and is likely to enter a wound when a bite occurs.
It doesn’t matter what type of breed bites you, or how aggressive the dog is. A bite that breaks the skin always means a chance that bacteria from the dog’s mouth will enter the wound and begin to colonize the tissue around it. This is what causes infections.
Risk Factors
These types of bites have a higher chance of causing infection:
- Hand, foot, and extremity bites
- Puncture wound bites
- Full-thickness bites
- Bites that require the removal of objects or damaged tissue from the wound
- Bites suffered by children or people over 50 years of age
- Bites that cause damage to deep body structures
Recognizing an Infection
Most symptoms of a dog bite infection usually occur 12-24 hours after the bite. Common symptoms include:
- Swelling – The body will send immune cells to the location of the infection to fight off the foreign bacteria. The increased immune system activity in the wound area will lead to swelling.
- Redness – The site of an infected bite may turn red in color. This is also due to immune system activity and can mean the area is infected.
- Fever – When different bacteria are present, the body will raise its temperature to help fight it off. If someone starts running a fever after they are bitten by a dog, there is a good chance that they have an infection and need treatment.
- Discoloration – If the bite area begins to change in color from normal to yellow, red, or brown, it can mean damaged tissue. The damaged tissue could be the result of infection. In some cases, infections can damage enough body tissue to cause injuries that lead to amputation.
More by Ed Smith, Fairfield Dog Bite Lawyer
- Correcting Problem Behavior in Dogs
- How Can an Injury Lawyer Help Me?
- Why it is Vital to Treat Dog Bites
Fairfield Dog Bite Lawyer
I’m Ed Smith, a Fairfield dog bite lawyer. When dogs bite people, the injuries can often be life-changing and leave emotional as well as physical scars. If you or anyone you know has been traumatically injured by a dog bite injury, you should call me for free, friendly legal advice. I am available at (707) 564-1900 and my toll-free line, (800) 404-5400.
For 36 years, I’ve practiced personal injury law in Fairfield and have helped residents claim the money they rightfully are owed in cases of personal injury and/or wrongful death.
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photo: “dog bite” by splitshire via C.C.-0
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