Dog Bite Complications: Infection Following a California Dog Attack & Injury

As you might imagine, dog bite wounds have a high chance of becoming infected compared with many other types of injuries. A dog’s mouth is filled with bacteria, and a dog’s teeth can puncture your flesh deeply, transferring bacteria deep into your body. Even if you clean your dog bite wound, it can be difficult to clean it thoroughly without the help of a medical professional.

Generally, if the dog bite has broken your skin, punctured the surface, or resulted in bleeding, you should see a doctor or nurse for professional and immediate medical care to guard against infection. When you see your doctor, you can expect several guards against infection:

• Your doctor will thoroughly clean your wound or wounds with antiseptics.
• Your doctor may prescribe or administer antibiotics for deep wounds or wounds which appear to have become infected.
• Your doctor will determine whether you will need shots for serious infections, such as rabies or tetanus.

If you have been bitten by a dog, be sure to watch out for the signs of an infection even after you have had your injury examined by a doctor:

• Swelling or tightness around the bite area
• Increased warmth around the bite area
• Redness around the bite area
• Increasing pain at the bite area instead of decreasing pain
• Discharge from the wound, such as green or yellow pus
• Fever, shaking, and chills
• Fatigue or confusion
• Enlarged lymph glands
• Aching joints
• Severe headache (tetanus)
• Muscle spasms (tetanus)

When most people think about dog bite injuries, they think of bleeding wounds and torn skin. In reality, though, many dog bite victims face a second battle after their dog attack: fighting against a bacterial infection. If an infection is left untreated, the consequences can be extremely serious. The infection can spread to your blood, brain, or other organs. Some infections can result in permanent injury or death.

Orange County Dog Bite Attorney

If you or your child has suffered a serious injury due to a dog attack in California, you may deserve compensation from the animal’s owner or another negligent party. Learn more about your possible California dog bite case by speaking with one of our experienced attorneys during a free, private consultation. Call Russell & Lazarus today at 800-268-9228.