Infected dog bite (x-ray, painful, infection, skin)
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I'm almost afraid to post this, because the possible replies make me nervous, but...
My son (17) was bitten by a dog on Friday. Not a bad bite, just a deep puncture by one tooth. He washed it immediately, and again when he got home. We put neosporin on it, and a bandage. The next night he was visiting a friend with a physician parent. The parent asked to see it, and then called me. She said because the tooth appeared to have entered a joint between the finger bones, the possibility of infection was high.
My son, at her urging, went to an Urgent Care office Saturday night, where he was given a tetanus shot and a prescription for Augmentin. They didn't address the bite at all, except to replace the bandage.
Tonight, the finger was throbbing, and showing signs of infection (swollen, bright red). Can I rest easy thinking the antibiotics will handle this?
The doctor friend told me she thought the finger should be x-rayed to make sure the joint wasn't damaged, but Urgent Care said because he could bend it, that wasn't necessary. She also said she thought the puncture should be opened up, cleaned, and possibly stitched. Again, nothing was done to the actual site by UC.
Can we afford to wait a couple of days to see if the antibiotics work?
the wound needs to be examined by an md again and the dog monitored for signs of rabies--unless you know for sure that that particular dog is current in all its shots--if it is not your dog get the name of its vet!
This happened at a dog day care. All the dogs are required to show proof of immunizations, so at least that worry can be crossed off.
I will take him to a doctor if necessary, but I'm wondering if all he needs is a couple of days on the antibiotic? He just started taking it today.
since dogs are known as staph carriers,i would get it cultured--esp to check for staph as some bacteria respond only to certain antibiotics---i would take the prescribed antibiotic in the meantime--plus check under the armpit of the hand that was bitten for swelling redness or tenderness (am a retired er nurse)
Okay realistically the chances of this dog having rabies are VERY slim. I don't know what state the OP is in but one can pull up records on the frequency of rabies in a given area on most county websites or the CDC website. If he had been bitten by a bat that would be an entirely different situation!!!
The antibiotics may take a day or two to work. Watch for signs of blood poisoning and give the antibiotics a chance. Joint penetration is a serious concern HOWEVER its normal for any bite to become more painful with throbbing ect the day after. I would just keep an eye on it and take him to the ER if he shows signs of blood poisoning (which is less likely with a dog bite than a cat bite).
How high a dose of Augmentin? I was given 850 mg for an infected cat bite. However, I had an allergic reaction to it and was prescribed something called ? doxycicline? which was so cheap there was no co-pay. It also worked almost immediately - like the next day there was a noticeable reduction in it. If it is still red/swollen tomorrow, do what you think you need to, keeping in mind it is a holiday.
Staph isn't a major mouth microorganism in dogs, or in people. Dogs' mouths are CLEANER than people's mouths!
But what you do want to ensure you treat for is a bug called Pasturella multocida. More common in puppies and kittens, but can be found in adults. But the Augmentin should cover that. If it's not better soon, you should see the doctor.
FWIW, I'm not normally a fan of peroxide, because it kills everything, but I would have washed that wound out with peroxide ASAP after the bite, then done the neosporin. At this point the systemic antibiotics have to do their work. I'd also trust the doctor friend more than that UC facility.
He's on 875 mg of Augmentin once a day. I think we will give it till tomorrow and see if the swelling and redness abates at all. Today there didn't seem to be any change, but he had only had one dose of the antibiotic.
I'm trying not to overreact, since the dog owner has offered to pay his expenses. I just want to be sure that the Augmentin was a good place to start.
He's on 875 mg of Augmentin once a day. I think we will give it till tomorrow and see if the swelling and redness abates at all. Today there didn't seem to be any change, but he had only had one dose of the antibiotic.
I'm trying not to overreact, since the dog owner has offered to pay his expenses. I just want to be sure that the Augmentin was a good place to start.
just keep checking it--while staph may or may not be present in the dog's mouth--we ALWAYS carry some on our skin and it can enter through a puncture wound----if you are not sure there is always the ER--most ers have an area called fast track where you can have minor things like bites,etc looked at by professionals---some have md's,some have arnp's with the er dr nearby for consultation----by tomorrow the area should look better--if not--back to the doc
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