Browse Archives > Medical Questions and Answers
Animal Bites
September 19 , 2004 by Agnes OblasQuestion:
Which is worse, dog bites or cat bites?
Answer:
Having been bitten by a dog, I can personally attest to the fact that it is not a good thing. I have never been bitten by a cat, but I know they aren’t to be ignored either.
To say which is worse is not possible as it would depend on how much tissue or muscle was torn, how deep, and how many sites. Suffice to say that any animal bite requires attention as soon as possible.
First aid for an animal bite includes immediate irrigation of the wound(s) with copious amounts of warm water followed by loose bandaging until formal medical help is obtained. At this point, more irrigation will probably be done with an antiseptic solution and then Tetanus immunization might be updated. The wound(s) will then be assessed for depth and degree of tissue/muscle damage. Whether or not stitches are required to keep the wound(s) closed will be determined again by where on the victim’s body the bite is located and again the degree of damage. Generally speaking, bites are not stitched as tightly as a regular wound might be because the risk is very great for developing infection in deeper tissues if not left open to air. Just about all animal bites are also treated with antibiotics. The question of rabies risk is a whole other matter.
A. Oblas, RN, CS, MSN
Nurse Practitioner
602.405.6320
medical@evliving.com
