My dog bit me. Do I need to see a doctor for the small wound?

The bite appears to have broken the skin, so the best thing you should do is flush the wound with water for ten minutes. This will help to flush out any germs that are in the wound. We (veterinarians) are not allowed (legally and ethically) to give advice about treatment for people, so I have to recommend that you seek medical help from your doctor. They will be able to better assess the wound, provide the necessary treatment, and give any vaccines if necessary. I know that the doctor will want to ensure that your tetanus vaccine is up to date and possibly recommend rabies prophylaxis. If Skyler had the rabies vaccine around three months, and he is only five months now, then he should be up-to-date. It's best to bring your dogs vaccine records to the medical appointment to be sure. I hope that helps and all is well.

Any bite wound, if it penetrated the skin, may benefit from examination by your physician and subsequent antibiotic therapy. Though we are not physicians on this site, many of us have had the displeasure of suffering from a dog / cat bite and seen what can happen when they go untreated. My best recommendation for you would be to clean and cover the area, but follow up with your family physician, particularly if the area starts to become painful or swollen. Hope this helps.

If you got bit by your neighbor's dog, I would recommend going to your doctor to have the wound evaluated. They are the only ones that can tell you if you need antibiotics. I would make sure your dog is on a leash at all times so you can help your dog avoid this type of situation. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hi and thanks for posting! Sometimes bite wounds can leave pockets in the skin making the wound worse than they appear initially. It would be a good idea for this to be evaluated by a veterinarian. Your veterinarian will asses the area for pockets in the skin and asses whether or not stitches are needed. It seems small enough for tissue glue to be used but the wound may need to be closed with a stitch or two. A lot of bacteria is intro introduced into the skin and surrounding tissue during a bite. Brisquette may need systemic antibiotics as well to help lessen the chance of developing an infection. I hope this helps and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

I am sorry to hear about your concern for your puppy. The answer to this question will depend on the circumstances. If this is a puppy you do not know/a stray/from an uknown home then I would recommend contacting your human physician. If this is your puppy who has been in your care with no exposure to wildlife and who is acting normally/healthy then the concern for rabies is very low but it does look like there is a puncture in your skin so I would recommend consulting your human doctor as we can develop bacterial infections due to dog bites and your doctor can advise you if treatment is necessary.

Since your dog has the full course of vaccinations and hopefully a rabies vaccination also, there should be no problem in that case. However you need to go see a doctor with your hand as it already looks infected. There are bacteria on dogs' teeth and since your dog broke the skin it is likely that bacteria were introduced and cause an infection. Please be seen at a hospital or a doctor's office today.

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm so sorry to hear about Darby, I can imagine that was very scary for both of you! I would recommend having Darby seen by a veterinarian as soon as you can. Dog bite wounds can be very extensive, beyond what you can see on the surface. There can be significant soft tissue injury that you cannot see, and a wound that looks like a small puncture can actually have deep pocketing and tissue damage. Also, dog bite wounds are very prone to becoming infected, as the bacteria in a dog's mouth can infect your dog's skin and prevent the wounds from healing. Your veterinarian will likely want to sedate Darby so he/she can clip the hair around the wounds and clean them out. Based on Darby's physical exam, your veterinarian may also recommend x-rays to look for evidence of other trauma, such as lung contusions (bruises) or fractures. Your veterinarian can also prescribe pain medications and antibiotics. As a reminder, NEVER give dogs pain medication which is intended for humans, as they can be fatally toxic to dogs. Darby may be scared of dogs for a little while after this event, which is to be expected. I hope this is helpful, and good luck with Darby!