There are many reasons that dog bites can happen. It could be that a puppy is simply entering a teething stage to an overly aggressive neighbor’s dog attacking you in an alleyway. What to do depends on how serious your injury is and on the unique circumstances of each situation. Sometimes it might not be a big deal, but in many cases there are steps you want to take for your own safety and the future safety and others. You will of course want to consider how serious the situation is:

Superficial Injuries

If your injury is minor such as a small scrape simply clean the wound with running water and a cleansing agent or rubbing alcohol designed for disinfecting wounds. You may also add an antibiotic ointment and bandage appropriately.

Punctures

In most cases you can let a puncture wound bleed a bit. You’re not going to bleed out unless it is gushing tremendously or if it is on your head or neck area, in which case you should call for an ambulance. If it’s not that serious, however, you can let it bleed for a few minutes, which will actually help it clean and disinfect. After five minutes apply pressure to the wound to see if you can stop the bleeding on your own. If that doesn’t work and the flow continues after a time you can then place a 911 call or visit an ER as soon as possible. Once it does stop rinse the area with running water and soap for about five more minutes.

Puncture Wounds

First of all, don’t be afraid to let the wound bleed. Unless you’ve lost a lot of blood or it is gushing out forcefully, or the wound is in your head or neck, (in which case call 911 immediately), wait five minutes. The flow of blood out of the wound will help to cleanse it.

You don’t want to use rubbing alcohol or related substances for puncture wounds because they can actually slow the healing process. Usually they won’t require bandaging as they can heal naturally so long as you can stop the bleeding. You will need to clean the wound thoroughly first if you do choose to, but as luck would have it other than teeth marks and a lot of pain dog bites don’t leave debris or other complications in their wake.

Disease and Rabies

If you’re bitten by a dog you don’t know or know that they haven’t received shots or proper care (such as strays) the American Red Cross warns against to capture that animal. It’s better to avoid contact and instead contact animal control ASAP. You should also make sure to get your rabbies vaccinations as soon as possible by calling 911 and/or visiting an emergency room as soon as possible.

Signs that an animal may be rabid may include (but are not limited too) unusually aggressive behavior, the appearance of being partially paralyzed, or other strange behaviors.

Make sure to thoroughly clean any bite or wound and use proper disinfectants and antibiotics. Remember that all animal bites can carry infection and bacteria, especially that are unsafe for humans.

What if Your Puppy Bites You?

First rest assured that it’s perfectly natural for your puppy to go through this stage. First they were do it in a teething stage and at some point they will try to establish their dominance essentially as the “Alpha Male”. Remember this isn’t out of spite, this is simply in its animal nature. You are just an object to sink his or her teeth into, nothing more.

Sometimes your puppy’s bites may pierce, but again this natural. As far as dealing with it remember first and foremore to remain calm. It does hurt, but the less you show a reaction, the less mind your puppy will pay to the incidence, hopefully this will start the process at least of limiting its occurrence.

Secondly you must learn to anticipate when your puppy is about to strike in order to prevent. This starts by first recognizing the signs indicating they are about to strike. This may include a bodily movement, a growl, a gesture, or anything else it does before showing you some puppy “love”. Once you see these signs administer some light discipline to encourage this behavior. This may include a pinch or a light shove or scruff, which will slowly discourage the behavior so long as you’re consistent.

When and if you find yourself nipped simply refer to the “superficial wounds” instructions above and act accordingly.

What if Your Own Dog Bites You?

If your own dog bites you then you will start by following the basic procedures for dealing with the wound depending on its severity (as explained above). Then you should try to determine what may have caused the incident. If this happened in a fight between animals (particularly a dog fight) you can safely determine it was an accident. It just means they were in a fight and thus a “fight or flight mode” and you got caught in the crossfire. This means it probably won’t have repeat instances down the road as it was nothing against you.

Firstly, do not discipline your dog too long after the incident. Your dog will probably not remember what they did far back enough to connect to why you’re administering the discipline, so it won’t help discourage the behavior but rather create confusion in your pet. You may see signs of submission in your dog afterwards if they do remember the incident. Start with an approach of no contact or interaction with your pet. Avoid eye contact, talking, or touching after the incident. Remain calm, above all else.

If the incident occurs as a nip out of nowhere contact your vet before taking further actions as it may be caused by some kind of condition or injury unbeknownst to you. Your vet should be able to help identify any medical factors at play. If that fails to identify a problem consider the incident itself. Did you play too rough, or seat yourself too hard or too abruptly next to your dog, or maybe came close to a treat or the good bowl? If necessary you can consult a personal trainer in this case, but at very least start by establishing certain rules and boundaries with your pet to work a livable relationship. It’s all a matter of working with your dog over time to reduce the behavior.

What Happens if Someone Else’s Dog Bites You?

If the owner is nearby or you know him or her get in contact with them and exchange contact information. From that you will want to try and obtain proof that rabies shots were up to date in the dog. Also treat the injury according to the instructions provided above with the corresponding category that fits your wound.

If applicable also try to get contact information for the dogs regular vet to ensure that all vaccinations are up to date. The police and animal control may also need to be notified so they can work with the owner to prevent this happening to someone else in the future.