People who have dog/dogs at home are at increased risk of getting bitten. Men rather than women are bitten by dogs in large number. Among various age groups, children are at high risk of getting bitten by dogs.
Facts On Dog Bite :
- Among all the animal bites, dog bites alone count for more than 90%.
- Around 8.5 million people seek emergency medical care for dog bites each year in America.
- Each year around 30,000 people undergo reconstructive surgery due to dog bite, in the USA alone.
- Dog bites involve deep injury for many people affecting blood vessels, nerves and even the bones.
- Dog bites may cause further infections like rabies and tetanus.
- Risk of getting infected can be avoided by cleansing the wound properly.
- Owing to the structure and shape of its teeth, dogs cause considerable damage to the tissues beneath the skin.
Symptoms :
Dog bites can be identified by a small narrow hole beneath the skin. It may look as though the area of the skin is being punctured. For some people it looks like jagged wound or cut or abrasions on the skin. For minor injury of dog bites, the symptoms include pain, redness and warmth over the area. Within an hour the portion may develop swelling and in some cases fluid like pus may drain out from the punctured area. Often dogs use front teeth to get hold of the victim firmly and other teeth are used for biting. Dog targets the face (more on lips and nose) for biting children and on the hands, arms or legs for adults.