Animal and human bites
Animal and human bites are a common type of injury and can carry a high risk of infection. Rabies and tetanus are potential risks and can be extremely serious.
Dog bites
Dog bites typically cause a puncture wound in the skin. They can also cause a laceration and an abrasion. This is because dogs use their front teeth to “pin” their victim, and their other teeth to bite and pull at the surrounding skin.
Human bites
Human bites can be common amongst younger children in home and education settings. Typical symptoms include small cuts to the hand and red, swollen and painful skin.
Treatment
The damaged body tissue following a human or animal bite is at risk of infection, especially in the outdoor environment, so you will need to treat your casualty immediately to reduce this risk.
- Whilst wearing gloves, clean the area of the bite with warm water to minimise the risk of infection
- Control any bleeding and inspect the wound for any embedded objects such as teeth and remove if possible
- Dry the wound and cover with a sterile dressing
- Treat the casualty for shock and arrange for them to be taken to hospital if necessary
Always seek immediate medical attention if the casualty has a bite to any of the following areas:
- The hands or feet
- A joint, tendon or ligament
- The scalp or face
- The genitals
- The ears or nose
Infections such as rabies and tetanus can occur following a bite, so your casualty will need to go to hospital for further examination and treatment if they display symptoms of infection as listed below:
- Redness and swelling around the wound
- The wound becomes more painful
- Discharge from the wound
- Swollen lymph glands (nodes)
- High temperature
- Shivers
In cases of serious bites, where a body part such as a finger or ear has been bitten off, you should wash the body part with water and place it in a plastic bag or a sealed container. Put the sealed bag or container into another bag with instant ice packs surrounding the body part to keep it cool so that it can be transported to hospital – it may be possible to reattach the body part using reconstructive surgery.
Do not freeze the body part or allow it to make direct contact with the instant ice packs.
If infection is suspected then call 999/112 immediately for an ambulance.