Dog Bite

Mcfast

Hi guys, i was bittnen by an elderly dog that belongs to a neighbour about a week ago. I don't think its anything to be worried about, there was no bleeding but a lot of brusing around it. The owner was with the dog, he came running out of the house when the mother of the family was uputting the bins and and the daughter a 20 something came running out after him to get him. I went after her to help and he bit me. She apoligised until she was blue in the face and offered to pay for a tetanus if i needed one. She had said that his mind seems to be going and hes bitten her too. She seemed very upset about it. I haven't had a tetanus in my adult life and was wondering about taking her up on the offer but given hes a sick dog shes probably got enough expense at the min. Also she seemed very upset about the dog being on its way out and had mentioned hed bitten before, should i mention this to an animal rescue? If one of them got a really bad dog bite id feel fairly awful. Any suggestions on what to do or ignoring it? Thanks

doctor evil

Get a tetanus.

If the dog is going senile it won't be happy and will not have a good quality of life.

Mcfast

do you really think i need a tetanus?its a clean dog and goes to the vet once a week. should i report it or try to talk to her? i know the vet the dog goes to, should i mention it to him? id hate to distress this girl, shes a really nice girl, the kind that would do anything for anyone. she bakes yeast free bread for an elderly lady on our street and does little things for all the older people. i feel guilty for thinking about reporting her/dog but if someone got a bad bite i think id feel worse.to be fair the dog is never out of the house unless its on a lead, this was an accident.

andreac

You only need tetanus if the skin was broken, was the skin broken? if so yes, def get a tetanus.

gypsygirl

If its an elderly dog and usually kept indoors, chances of anyone else apart from the owners, being bitten are slim, (You were helping to grab the dog right? so its doesn't sound like the dog was coming at you to attack you) The dog and owners probably only have a short time left together, I wouldn't spoil that by taking things further, (Just don't help catch him if he gets out again) but I'm sure that after this incident they'll be much more vigilent about it. They sound like they are pretty responsible if the dog is seen weekly by the vet. I'd wouldn't take it any further.

gollyitsolly

You must get a tetanus injection or you may get a thing called lockjaw. Always get a tetanus if you have been bitten by an animal.

Roxy87

Taken from here
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/8/T084900.asp

Tetanus
If your child has had a tetanus shot within the past 7 years, then he does not need a booster. If it has been 7 years or more, then a booster is recommended. This only applies to bites that tear or deeply puncture the skin, not minor nips or scrapes. If a bite occurs in the evening, the tetanus shot can wait until the next day.

seanybiker

i wouldnt bother with the tetanus or reporting the dog. It was obviously an accident. Is the young one fit? Like , would ya?

R.D. aka MR.D

I definitly wouldn't report it to anyone. I'm sure if the dog is in pain etc the vet will already have advised them of their options.

You might just be adding to their hurt and it might create bad relations in the future.

whitneysegura

Be safe and get your shot, I know of someone who died from a dog bite. It was a painful death from what I heard, I don't remember exactly what he got from it, but it wasnt pretty!

Miaireland

I would get the shot to be on the safe side. You are probably due to get one anyway by the sounds of things.

convert

gollyitsolly wrote: »

You must get a tetanus injection or you may get a thing called lockjaw. Always get a tetanus if you have been bitten by an animal.

If you're in doubt as to whether or not you should get a tetanus shot go and chat to your GP. They're the only people who are really qualified to give medical advice.

As for reporting the dog, I don't really think there's much to report. From my understanding of your post, the dog ran out, you went to catch it and it bit you. It's not like he attacked you. He probably felt threatened when you attempted to catch him and reacted in what he believed was in self-preservation. If he's old he could also be more sensitive than a younger dog and even though you weren't rough with him you may have hurt him accidentally.