First aid for animal bites

There’s something magical about a bond between a child and his pet. Aside from many happy memories of playing together, your pet will teach your child values like responsibility and compassion.

But pets are still animals, and a few scratches and bites are to be expected. Here is a first aid guide for the little scrapes and nips that your child may encounter.

Dog bites

If it’s a minor puncture wound wash it out with warm water and soap for five minutes. If your child’s wound is deep or bleeding heavily, apply direct pressure to the area with a clean cloth or gauze and take her to the E.R.

As a precaution, keep your child’s tetanus vaccines up to date, and make sure your dog is vaccinated for rabies and distemper.

Cat scratches

Wash out the wound with warm water and soap for five minutes. Don’t flush it out with peroxide or other antiseptic solutions, which can sting. Apply direct pressure to the area to stop bleeding. Call your doctor if: a) the wound continues to bleed after 10 minutes of pressure, b) the wound is on your child’s face or hands, and c) it gets infected )look for redness, pus, or red streaks).

The truth about rabies

Around 40,000 in the U.S. alone are exposed to animals that have rabies, which can be life threatening. Wild animals are usually the most common carriers, but rabies can also show up in unvaccinated horses, cattle, goats, dogs and cats (especially those who are exposed to other animals that may have the disease). If your child is bitten by a wild or stray animal, take him to the emergency room right away to get a series of rabies shots. Early symptoms of rabies are high fever, sore throats, headaches and lethargy.

Because of the risk for rabies, kids need to be taught how to deal with wild animals, especially if you live in an area near a forest. Warn him not to approach any wild animal, big or small, and to not assist an injur animal (call animal control instead). Don’t allow your child to handle lizards or snakes by themselves (reptiles can transmit salmonella bacteria).

Photo from quickblogcast.com