# Dog bite - should I go to the doctor? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 18, 2009, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-bite-should-i-go-to-the-doctor/506801 "2009-08-18T01:54:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2009, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-bite-should-i-go-to-the-doctor/506801/21 "2009-08-21T15:12:01Z")
When I was bitten by a Rottweiler (not as scary as it sounds) my physician told me that he almost never sees serious infection from dog bites. I had washed it with water and followed up with peroxide, and that seemed to satisfy him. He sent me to a hand specialist just to verify everything was hunky dory; said specialist watched me move my hand, and touched my fingertips and observed me twitch, then sent me out the door. I did have most of the rabies series last year after a cat bite; the cat had been vaccinated but the vaccination status had lapsed 3 months past recommended update, and everyone advised me to go ahead and get the shots, since there had been sick foxes running in the same woods in which the cat was loose. Both I and the cat are fine (and I’ve seen one healthy-looking fox this year – not sure if it could be the same one). ---
**Author:** ![Arkcon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Arkcon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arkcon)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2012, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-bite-should-i-go-to-the-doctor/506801/22 "2012-09-16T18:06:25Z")
> [@Chief\_Pedant](#): > > The data are a bit soft, but most ED docs would probably give antibiotic prophylaxis to a penetrating dog bite of the hand. More important, thorough local irrigation (not just washing) is considered critical. Hand infections from all animal bites can be problematic. Human and cat bites are traditionally the worst, but even dog bites–especially penetrating ones–need expert irrigation. > > It is not preferable to wait. Sorry to bump up a 3 year old thread, but I did want everyone to know that I did search the forums first before posting. Can anyone, either Chief Pedant: or another regular define for me what is a “penetrating bite to the hand” Just a couple of hours ago my mother was nipped on the thumb by a small dog on the street. Possibly a nip-prone terrier breed. I’m guessing that the dog is so tiny, that rabies is not an issue. The puncture wound is tiny, not even a centimeter long. She tried to squeeze the blood out as we walked home. (Mom is cut from tougher stuff than I am.) We did try to wash it very thoroughly once home. I applied hydrogen peroxide to try and aerate it well. We also tried to cut the flap of skin that folded over the wound … well, I suggested it, and tried it, she succeeded (c.f. above.) I put Neosporin on the wound and a band-aid over it. Does she need immediate irrigation cleaning of the tiny wound, or maybe a later checkup for some sort of injection? Those are the sorts of questions I have. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2012, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-bite-should-i-go-to-the-doctor/506801/23 "2012-09-16T18:31:22Z")
> [@Arkcon](#): > > Sorry to bump up a 3 year old thread, but I did want everyone to know that I did search the forums first before posting. Can anyone, either Chief Pedant: or another regular define for me what is a “penetrating bite to the hand” > > Just a couple of hours ago my mother was nipped on the thumb by a small dog on the street. Possibly a nip-prone terrier breed. I’m guessing that the dog is so tiny, that rabies is not an issue. The puncture wound is tiny, not even a centimeter long. She tried to squeeze the blood out as we walked home. (Mom is cut from tougher stuff than I am.) We did try to wash it very thoroughly once home. I applied hydrogen peroxide to try and aerate it well. We also tried to cut the flap of skin that folded over the wound … well, I suggested it, and tried it, she succeeded (c.f. above.) I put Neosporin on the wound and a band-aid over it. > > Does she need immediate irrigation cleaning of the tiny wound, or maybe a later checkup for some sort of injection? Those are the sorts of questions I have. IANAMD, but I’m guessing that a penetrating bite is one which breaks the skin and causes bleeding. ---
**Author:** ![Lasciel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e79b87/32.png) [@Lasciel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lasciel)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2012, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-bite-should-i-go-to-the-doctor/506801/24 "2012-09-16T19:04:56Z")
IANAD, but here’s the basic difference: Graze: like what happens when you fall off a bike and scuff your knees, or if you fall down and catch your palms on pavement. Penetrating: what it looks like if you stuck yourself with a nail, or something’s tooth. In other words, if it looks like [this](https://sites.google.com/site/eforensicmed2/Abrasion_on_hand_20050906.jpg): it is all surface damage, and you can clean it all fine yourself, because you can get to it all. In other words, you should be fine. If it looks like [this](http://www.utahmountainbiking.com/firstaid/images/pics-firstaid/pwface.jpg) then there’s a lot of interior space that you’re not getting the cleanser into, and you need to go to a doctor to make sure that it ALL gets cleaned, up inside the cut itself. In entirely different news, the SIZE of an animal doesn’t have anything to do with whether it gets rabies or not - most rabies infections come from teeny tiny bats! The important thing to figure out is if the dog is a STRAY, and came up unprovoked and bit your mom, or if it belonged to someone and she was petting it and it got peeved. If the first option is true - PLEASE try to find the dog, and get it checked for rabies. Your mom may need shots. Rabies is rare, but that’s at least partly because people are very careful about it. If she gets rabies, she will DIE. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2012, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-bite-should-i-go-to-the-doctor/506801/25 "2012-09-16T19:24:05Z")
Since this involves medical advice, it’s best suited to IMHO. Please note this thread is more than three years old. Colibri General Questions Moderator [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-bite-should-i-go-to-the-doctor/506801.md?page=1)