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My son was attacked by friend's dog


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Hello to all

 

I have missed you all very much, having an incredibly busy year, and though I check in occasionally, have not had time to respond!! But of course, you all must have known I would eventually need you again!! (sorry so selfish, my four kids and mom have just kept me hopping)

 

Anyway, yesterday evening, my 11 year old son was attacked by his friend's dog. He has multiple puncture wounds to his lower leg, as well as a laceration. We went to the ER last nite and are following up with the pediatrician tomorrow. He got 5 stitches to the laceration and one stich each for two of the puncture wounds.

 

I think I have done everything I am supposed to do (board of health, sheriff, etc.), but am just open to any advice about how to care for the wounds and others' experiences. He is on antibiotic and pain med, but can't walk yet (just hurts too much, nothing structurally wrong)

 

Hope this was the right place to post this, it is NOT remotely BC related, but just dog related. I haven't posted in the new set-up yet.

 

Thanks again for any advice, I know you are all a wealth of knowledge.

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Talk to your pediatrician about an anti-inflammatory for him - it might help the swelling and allow him to walk better.

 

After that I encourage you to get him involved with good, safe dogs as much as possible. Counseling with a dog friendly therapist might also be in order.

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Did they give him a Tentanus?

We have two dogs (BC mix and sheltie) that Ben is crazy about, am not too worried about new fear of dogs, but I will be watching for this.

 

He should theoretically be up to date on tetanus, but we will speak to the pediatrician about it tommorrow.

 

And, of course, I meant bites, not bits in my heading. Not terribly focused today!!!

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I will go ahead and ask the obvious - have you seen proof of UTD rabies vaccination on the dog? I know I sound paranoid, but it's an easy disease to prevent and a fatal ugly one if contracted. I'd demand (nicely of course) to see proof.

 

Sounds like a nasty bite. I hope your son feels better soon.

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Aaaaaw! poor little guy. Hope he is alright. Let him know we are all wishing for a speedy recovery. I am real glad he is a dog lover, so he knows all doggies are not mean or biters. I can see how this could set someone up for being afraid of dogs for a long time. Hopefully, that will not be the case with your son since he has his own critters.

I am glad you knew who the dog was that bit him also, so at the very least you know that the dog is up on his/her shots. Is this a first for this dog and what breed of dog is he/she?

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Guest WoobiesMom

Might want to double-check the stitching of the puncture wounds w/the pediatrician. I heard of someone recently (friend of a friend thing) getting a nasty infection from a dog bite that consisted only of puncture wounds. The ER had stitched them and the surgeon who had to repair and cut out the infected tissue said puncture wounds should NEVER be stitched but flushed and cleansed regularly and allowed to heal from the inside to the top (if that makes sense). Don't mean to worry you, but it's worth asking.

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Sounds like you're covering all the bases. I'm sure you determined that the other dog is up-to-date on his vaccinations. I'd still consider getting a tetanus shot.

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Watch the wounds for increased redness/hardness, and basically baby your son. I am sure it must really hurt. Make sure you keep up with the antibiotics, and keep the area(s) clean. They don't ususally like to stitch dog bites, so the bites must have been pretty severe.

Julie

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We've missed you around here, Tammy! Don't be such a stranger!

 

I just wanted to say "ditto" to Painted Ponies' suggestion of asking to see the up-to-date rabies certificate. I can't remember where you live, but we really have a problem with rabies in North and South Carolina. Maybe that's Animal Control's job, I just don't know.

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I can't remember where you live, but we really have a problem with rabies in North and South Carolina. Maybe that's Animal Control's job, I just don't know.

 

We really do. Our bookkeeper lived in town, nice neighborhood, and the neighbor's cat bit her son. She was shocked to find out the neighbors hadn't vaccinated. There's a tiny window of opportunity to start the shots - just a few days, as I remember. The health dept insisted the kid begin the series right away, which was a good thing as the cat did turn out to be rabid.

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Yep, you guys are scaring me about the rabies thing, that is a worry. The owner says the dog is up to date, but given their surroundings I wouldn't trust that. I will definitately talk to the pediatrician tommorrow about all of your concerns. There are not many rabies cases around here, thank goodness.

 

The rules here are that the dog be quarantined (sp?) and observed for 10 days. Even if the owner can show proof of vaccination. The sheriff was going to visit them to let them know this, and I am making an assumption that someone will get back to me (don't worry, I am a persistant pestering person when it comes to follow-up!!)

 

The nurse at the ER said they usually don't suture dog bites, but the doc felt he needed it. So, I will talk to the pediatrician about that, too, and be open to the idea that the stitches might be coming right out!!

 

Thank you so much for all of your support, I knew I could count on you guys.

 

I don't know if the dog has bitten before. This is a child that my sons "took in" when they started school out here. This child was constantly made fun of by everyone and my boys (twins) have been sticking up for him for almost three years. It has literally turned this child's life around and I am so proud of my boys. But he is a very underprivelaged soul and we have him over when we can and then take him back home. Ben went with his dad to take him back home and the boy ran by his dog, encouraging Ben to follow. Ben did (big mistake!!) and the dog attacked him as he went by. The dog is mistreated and I wouldn't be surprised if it has happened before. Don't even get me started on this familiy, it is just so sad, their problems so huge that they seem insurmountable and we have to be careful about how involved we get. Ben should have known better, he has reasonably good dog sense, but certainly this was not his fault and would be considered an unprovoked attack by a dog novice.

 

I will let you know how the doctor visit goes. I have missed you all so much, it is a serious shame for life to get this crazy!! My mom has had two hips replaced since January, my boys have had their sickliest winter ever, and we started out the year way overcommitted. I won't make that mistake again. Sorry, I didn't intend to offer excuses, but there I did.

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My bc accidently bit me a few weeks back. She grabbed my finger instead of the stick. She usually has better hand respect but this one time she did not. Anyways, it was a laceration that probably should of had a couple stitches especially since it was on a knuckle. I have had some (minor) medical training and made sure to keep it clean, etc... About 1 1/5 weeks letter it was infected no matter how clean I kept it. I even covered it if I was going to play with the dogs outside to avoid getting dirt in it.

 

Watch for redness, hardness, excessive swelling - it could take a few days to show. I was put on antibiotics and it has healed up nicely.

 

Good for your sons for watching out for the other kid but too bad this is how one of them has been repaid.

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Puncture wounds worry me more than lacerations, even though they are on the lower leg. At least they're not on the hand or foot, but, and if I've missed it, sorry, but antibiotics would be something I'd ask about.

 

I'm sure he'll be fine.

 

Keep us posted, OK?

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This might sound like an odd suggestion, but I would talk to your vet about your son's bites. Human doctors are not very experienced with bite wounds and infectious diseases while vets deal with them all the time. A vet will know what types of bacteria are most likely to be in there and how best to handle a "dirty wound." I am not telling you to disregard his pediatricians or to have the vet treat your son, but to use the vet a resource for information that the humans doctors may not have.

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This might sound like an odd suggestion, but I would talk to your vet about your son's bites. Human doctors are not very experienced with bite wounds and infectious diseases while vets deal with them all the time. A vet will know what types of bacteria are most likely to be in there and how best to handle a "dirty wound." I am not telling you to disregard his pediatricians or to have the vet treat your son, but to use the vet a resource for information that the humans doctors may not have.

 

That's funny, Liz P, as I had the same thought!! Especially because our vet would be familiar with what bugs are around here.

 

He is on antibiotic, Augmentin, which started last nite. ER was very insistent that it be started last nite (midnite) which I would have done anyway.

 

I cannot imagine these folks would have proof of rabies vaccanation. Do you know how long the incubation period is, anyone? Like what would be the post-bite deadline for starting innoculation?

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The dog should be quarantined for ten days if there is no proof of rabies vaccine (unless the dog is destroyed, in which case the head should be submitted and the brain examined for rabies virus). If the (live) dog is clear of rabies symptoms ten days post-bite, then there was no rabies virus in the saliva when the dog bit the child so the child is safe. If rabies symptoms occur within the ten-day quarantine period, then rabies exposure treatment should be initiated. If the dog is lost and can't be observed for the ten day period, then you have to decide if you'd prefer to risk rabies, or treatment for possible rabies exposure. However, quarantine protocols should be in place with animal control (etc) so someone else should be taking charge of that. You can call the Sheriff or Animal Control and ask them about quarantine policy if you like, but it's up to them to enforce it.

 

Laws vary by state; up here if there's no proof of vaccine the dog is quarantined by Animal Control (at the owner's expense.) If there is proof of vaccine and the owner is reliable, you might get away with an in-home quarantine, pending the decision of the authorities. I live in a low-rabies area, though, so things may be different in other places.

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Ugh, that antibiotic made me really sick when I had to take it after being bitten. Try to get your son to eat yogurt with live cultures to help his tummy and make sure he eats his meals regularly.

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Augmentin is a rough antibiotic to take. It made me sick too. Twice I wound up in the hospital on IV's for bite wounds when even Augmentin didn't work. There's been a lot of good suggestions here. I'm sorry your son and you have to go through this.

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Augmentin will definitely take care of any infection! Whooooeeee! Please do like Liz P. suggested and give your son yogurt or even Lactobacillus acidophilus powders that you can mix in applesauce. My son took it when he cut his foot badly enough to require stitches and since he continued to walk around barefoot, got it infected. Augmentin took care of the infection, but the side effect of diarrhea was very interesting. (Let's just say a bicycle and later a garden hose were involved.....draw your own conclusions!)

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From the Center for Disease Control webpage FAQ's

 

3. Q: What happens if a neighborhood dog or cat bites me?

 

A: You should seek medical evaluation for any animal bite. However, rabies is uncommon in dogs, cats, and ferrets in the United States. Very few bites by these animals carry a risk of rabies. If the cat (or dog or ferret) appeared healthy at the time you were bitten, it can be confined by its owner for 10 days and observed. No anti-rabies prophylaxis is needed. No person in the United States has ever contracted rabies from a dog, cat or ferret held in quarantine for 10 days.

 

If a dog, cat, or ferret appeared ill at the time it bit you or becomes ill during the 10 day quarantine, it should be evaluated by a veterinarian for signs of rabies and you should seek medical advice about the need for anti-rabies prophylaxis.

 

The quarantine period is a precaution against the remote possibility that an animal may appear healthy, but actually be sick with rabies. To understand this statement, you have to understand a few things about the pathogenesis of rabies (the way the rabies virus affects the animal it infects). From numerous studies conducted on rabid dogs, cats, and ferrets, we know that rabies virus inoculated into a muscle travels from the site of the inoculation to the brain by moving within nerves. The animal does not appear ill during this time, which is called the incubation period and which may last for weeks to months. A bite by the animal during the incubation period does not carry a risk of rabies because the virus is not in saliva. Only late in the disease, after the virus has reached the brain and multiplied there to cause an encephalitis (or inflammation of the brain), does the virus move from the brain to the salivary glands and saliva. Also at this time, after the virus has multiplied in the brain, almost all animals begin to show the first signs of rabies. Most of these signs are obvious to even an untrained observer, but within a short period of time, usually within 3 to 5 days, the virus has caused enough damage to the brain that the animal begins to show unmistakable signs of rabies. As an added precaution, the quarantine period is lengthened to 10 days.

 

So it looks like there's a longer window than I thought to begin post-exposure prophylaxis. :rolleyes:

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I hope everything turns out okay and that they end up having proof of vaccination. It sounds like you have great sons and they're doing a good thing. It would really be a shame if your son's friend ended up feeling really bad about what happened or lost his dog. Or even worse--if the dog turned out to have to be destroyed and your son felt guilty for costing his friend the dog.

 

I really hope it turns out well for all involved. Sounds like a painful situation all around!

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It has always been my experience that dog bites are not stitched, particularly when they are deep puncture wounds, ets. as sealing them off by stitching has a tendency to make them fester, even when a person is on antibiotics.

 

I know all of our clients that are treated for Level 4 bite wounds from the police dogs are not stitched, but left open to drain and slowly heal from the inside out. There is a lot of cellular damage and contamination in the wound site that even debriding and irrigating doesn't help.

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here's some information on dog bites hope it helps :rolleyes:

 

the most common bug in dog bites is pasteurella multocida, but people can also get staph and strep.

 

treatment includes irrigation with saline, wound repair, immobilizing and elevating injured area, and when neccessary tetanus and rabies shots

 

if the wound is not infected antibiotic prophylaxis is usually not recommended. considering p. multocida's level of resistance to early generation antibiotics and the age of the patient, the most appropriate therapy are Augmentin or Bactrim.

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Thanks, everyone, for your support.

 

Still don't know about the dog, I am going to have to call the sheriff's office again tommorrow to find out what they know, I guess.

 

I am unhappy he was stitched over the two punctures for sure. The laceration, I think they really didn't have a choice, it was really ugly. So far, things look ok. He went to the pediatrician this am, I was pleased with what the doc knew about dog bites. He also questioned the stitching but said they must have needed it and he wouldn't take them out at this point, just watch them.

Ben had his tetanus last July, so we are good on that. He feels Ben is not walking because there is bleeding in the muscles. He does have a lot of bruising. But he walked a few steps tonite, and we will work on it tommorrow.

 

Diarrhea has already commenced,yippee. Duh on the yogurt, I forgot that, my brain is not exactly top notch right now!! Will get some tommorrrow.

 

The other child is very sad about it, and worse yet, it has started up some of the teasing again. He needs Ben back to protect him, this time the teachers are aware and they are cracking down on it. Luckily, the dog that bit Ben was the dog this other child REALLY doesn't like. The child isn't sad about the dog, he is sad about Ben. I hate to see any dog suffer, and I feel it is the dog's circumstances rather then its fault, so I am sad about that, too. It is just a bad situation any way you look at it!!

 

And I did have concerns about bug resistance, Ben's twin had MRSA boils last summer, what fun that was!! But Augmentin is the recommended treatment, but thanks for the specific bug, I will definately notify my pediatrician of that should he start to look infected.

 

Thanks again, your input is very helpful.

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