7 complications you can get from a dog bite

Considered as man’s best friend, dogs are known for being predictable, gentle, and trustworthy. However, regardless of how well-trained dogs are, you should never forget that they’re still instinctual animals. If they feel threatened or frightened, they may bite or attack someone. Once it happens, victims may suffer immensely from dog bites, which can cause complications.

A dog bite may often lead to scratches, lacerations, tears, and other wounds. In other cases, such wounds are the extent of the victim’s injuries, but in some situations, a dog bite may result in complications. If you’re a victim of a dog bite that leads to complications, it’s best to contact a reliable lawyer to help you get financial recompense.

Below are some common dog bite complications:

1. Infections

A dog bite may cause infections, especially if the dog’s teeth go deep into the victim’s skin. The bite enables bacteria to get into the epidermis, which may lead to infections. To lessen the risk of infection, you must clean your wounds always. You should not try closing your wounds using a skin repair tape as this may just lock in the bacteria. Beyond that, you must be aware of the signs of infections including swelling, redness, and pain.

The common infection from dog bites is due to the bacteria that live in the dog’s mouth and these include staphylococcus, capnocytophaga, and pasteurella. Such can cause bacterial infections if dog bites break the skin. But, the risk of infection differs depending on some factors.

For instance, people who are immunocompromised are more likely to get infected by said bacteria. If you’ve been a victim of a dog bite and notice a sign of infection, seek medical assistance and ask for help from law firms like Fine, Farkash & Parlapiano, P.A. to get compensation.

2. Rabies

Dogs may transmit rabies with just a single bite. Rabies should be taken seriously since it can cause acute brain inflammation in humans. Although cases of rabies are rare in places where pet owners are required to vaccinate their dogs, it’s still a good idea to seek medical help as soon as you’re bitten by a dog.

Usually, the symptoms of rabies show in two to 10 days; but, when symptoms appear, the risk of survival is less. So, make sure to get medical attention immediately.

3. Emotional trauma

Once you experience something painful like a dog attack, your brain may go into the safety mode. After a dog bite, each time you encounter a dog, your brain may trigger your sense of fear, which is the body’s way to keep you away from any possible dog bite danger. But there are times that psychological effects of a dog bite may go far beyond your cognitive safety net and you might suffer from a more serious mental distress like post-traumatic stress disorder.

4. Disfigurement

Bites from powerful and aggressive dogs may cause significant damage. If the attack is a bit vicious, it might cause disfigurement and big-scale scarring. Even if this complication is rare, cases of dogs biting off the limbs of kids still exist. In fact, dog bites causing facial injuries common.

5. Meningitis

This dog bite complication is the inflammation of the membrane that covers the brain and the spinal cord. Since the inflammation is close to important body parts, meningitis can be fatal.

The common symptoms of this disease may include stiffness of the neck, vomiting, fever, headache, confusion, and more. The presence of viruses, bacteria, and some similar organisms in the dog’s saliva may result in meningitis.

6. Nerve damage

Along with damaging muscles and skin, dog bites may also cause nerve damage. This kind of injury may cause permanent or temporary loss of movement and feeling in the affected body parts or areas. There are also times that victims may not return to their daily activities or work because of nerve damage that may last for a long time to heal.

7. Tetanus

Another complication you can get from a dog bite is tetanus. Even some good dogs may carry tetanus and you may contract tetanus if bacteria go into your skin or if it gets into your wound. However, some doctors don’t often check for tetanus when providing treatments for dog bites, so you might like to ask for a test on this if you want to make sure that you won’t get tetanus.

Conclusion

If you suffer from dog bite complications, this may substantially increase your medical care cost and may cause more suffering and intense pain. If you want to seek compensation and get help covering your medical expenses for your pain, never hesitate to contact the best dog bite lawyer to assist you with navigating this complex problem.

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