Is Your Dog Bite Infected?

When a dog bite gets infected, it can become much more serious than it would have been otherwise. Some infections can lead to conditions like sepsis, for instance, and you may need serious medical care as your condition grows worse.

Puncture wounds, like those from a dog bite, are especially prone to infection because they block bacteria deep within the wound. They also bleed less, which means that the wound doesn’t get washed out. People often think that they’ve done enough to treat an animal bite at home, only to find out that things are going to get worse as it gets infected in the days to come.

What symptoms signal an infection?

If you’re worried about a dog bite getting infected, the key is to watch for specific symptoms so that you know when it’s time to go to the hospital. Some of these symptoms may include the following:

• Instead of feeling better with time, the pain at the wound site gets worse.
• There is a red color spreading away from the wound, and it feels warm to the touch.
• The wound has consistent discharge or pus coming from it.
• You develop a fever or other signs of illness as your body tries to fight the infection.
• The area around the wound becomes very tender and stiff, and you may struggle with mobility.

Treating an infection can be very expensive, along with the cost of treating the initial dog bite. If you’re facing high medical bills after such an injury, make sure you know how to seek financial compensation from the dog’s owner, if they were negligent and that’s what caused the attack to occur.