Dog bite suggestions?

Question

I got bitten by a dog on the hand at the animal shelter this afternoon cause I sort of ended up in the middle of a fight. The workers said that they were pretty sure it had it's Rabies, and I know I've had a Tetnus. My fingers are just kind of sore, but one of them I can't extend all the way inwards or outwards. Should I just wait to see if it feels better after awhile? And suggestions overall.. besides not to get inbetween dogs, lol.

It really wasn't the dogs faultt.. there were two fighting and I got tangled up in a chain trying to pull them apart, my fault.

Answer 1

I am not a doctor and don't pretend to be one at all. But I can tell you, on the tube of antibiotic cream I have, it tells you what you can use it for, but says ' not for puncture wounds ' which suggests to me that it is something that you should have treated by someone who knows more about puncture wounds.. They are more serious.. The infection can get into your blood system and well.. Infection spreads like wild fire.. You can very quickly get into trouble.. You should really go to the hospital tonight and at least have it checked.. I'll bet that they give you another tetanus shot, an antibiotic shot and will clean the wound out very well for you.. Then at least you can ask a real doctor what you should watch out for, and signs of big problems, when to know that you need to get back to the doctor, etc.. Here, we know a very little bit about dogs, and bathing them and clipping their nails and what to feed them.. This is a dog in the shelter, that no one knows if he has had his shots, and it's a very serious situation.. Don't forget to mention at the hospital that it is work related so that they can add that to the report ....

Answer 2

If you aren't feeling sick or anything I probably wouldn't worry about it too much. You may have just gotten bitten on the knuckle and that may be why you can't extend that finger, does it feel sorer than the rest? If you do start to feel sick I would go straight to the hospital and if I you do get sick and the dog did have rabies I would talk to a lawyer and sue the pound because they are supposed to keep the animals shots up to date and they are supposed to know whether the dog has had it's shots and which shots it's had, not "pretty sure"! I've never heard of a pound being "pretty sure". That's absolutely ridiculous!! (Please not the large amount of sarcasm there). Just make sure you keep it clean and keep something over it so germs and stuff can't get into it. I hope you will be okay. Remember if you start showing *any* symptoms go to the hospital.

Answer 3

I wouldn't worry about disease; rabies is almost nonexistent in dogs in the US now, due to rabies shots; the dogs that aren't vaccinated have nobody to catch it from.
Soak your hand in hot soapy water for 5 minutes, then switch to cold for 1 minute. For best results, do this 2 or 3 times. This gives a tremendous boost to the immune system in the hand and to the healing process. Bandage it with antibiotic ointment. If it doesn't get better, or if it seems to be badly infected, see a doctor.

Answer 4

First, you need to see what kind of records they have on the dog that bit you. Either it had it's shots or it did not. If it was a stray they wouldn't know, if it was turned in what records were brought with it and are there any records on the shelters computer about it?
As far as your fingers go, you should see a Dr. It might be it is just stiff but if you cannot get it to uncurl you may have ligament, tendon or nerve damage. You might never have the use of that finger again if you don't have it properly treated. You also need to have the shelter pay for your visit as it is their job to be sure everyone is safe when in the building. Get to your Dr then submit the bill along with the date and a brief story of why this bill is being sent to them. If they don't want to pay then take them to small claims court. If you finger is damaged for the rest of your life you may need a lawyer to go to bat for you. It was irresponsible and negligent for them to have allowed this to happen.

Answer 5

Get yourself to an ER now! You should have been taken to see a doctor as soon as the bite occurred, especially if the workers at the shelter believed that the dog had rabies.

Answer 6

It sounds like you were trying to help, and it was kind of necessary so I'm sorry that you got bit. I would say wash it well, put ice on it if it is swollen at all or to help the pain. If there are open wounds, use triple antibiotic ointment and bandage them, and try to excercise your hand and fingers. If it doesn't feel any better by 2morrow or if it gets worse, you should go see a doctor because sometimes animal bites that don't feel very severe, could have punctured a vein or other vital part of your hand. Hope you feel better.

Answer 7

You will probably need to go to the Dr. but you will definitely know in the morning. If it is red, swollen, warm to the touch, or extremely painful you will need to go. You can get an infection from an animal bite without getting Rabies. If it is left untreated you can get a blood infection requiring IV meds in the hospital or possibly death.

Answer 8

GET TO A DOCTOR!! Even if the dog has had its vaccinations, you still need to be seen by your doctor. If you are having problems extending a finger, you could have ligament damage. Also, your doctor might want to put you on a round of antibiotics to make sure the wound doesn't get infected.

Answer 9

One thing that hasn't been addressed is that any time you have an injury at work, you should report it to your supervisor. They should do the paperwork to get any care you need covered by worker's comp. If the injury is more extensive than you originally thought it would be, you'll be glad to have that coverage.
Since your coworkers weren't sure of the vaccination status of the dog, you should be seen ASAP.

Answer 10

if it hurts prety bad go to the hospital to get antibiotics. i got bit on one of my knuckles by an old dog. the bacteria in the dogs mouth caused a nasty infection, they were worried it could get into the joint. that would have been REAL BAD. so go. If it hurts and swells, there is infection. go to the hospital. NOW. rabies is not your fear here, neither is tetanus if you've had your shot. it's bacterial infection!!!!