Don’t panic. Calm yourself and the child and assess the wound. Give first aid at home if possible and stop the bleeding. Call emergency services immediately if the wound is deep or large or you fear you can’t handle it correctly.
Yelling or hitting your dog isn’t the right thing to do at such a crucial time. It may make the dog angry, and he may attack your or the little ones around.
Key Takeaways
Call emergency services immediately, give first aid at home, and don’t panic.
Your kid will need a rabies shot if it was a stray dog. Seek medical help if the dog is deep, doesn’t stop bleeding, or you can see the bones.
First Aid for Dog Bites
- Stop Bleeding: Stop bleeding as you would for any other skin wound. Use a clean washcloth or towel to cover the wound and apply gentle pressure. Make your child look up if there’s a lot of blood.
- Cleaning: Clean the wound with water and antiseptic soap. Keep the wound under water for a few minutes to rinse away bacteria.
- Bandage: Pat the area dry gently, apply some antibiotic ointment, and apply a fresh bandage.
- Confirm Rover’s Shots: If the dog isn’t yours, ask the owner if Rover’s shots are up-to-date.
Seek Medical Help
- If you don’t know the dog, take your child to a nearby hospital; your little one may require a rabies shot.
- The wounds are deep, and you can see the bones.
- The wounds are on the neck.
- Your child is complaining of extreme pain and doesn’t settle down.
- The bleeding continues after 5-10 minutes of bandage.
- The bones are broken, or the joints and tendons have been ruptured.
- Your child has a weak immunity system.
Doctors usually don’t stitch dog bites on body parts other than the face and neck. The stitches help prevent scars. Don’t forget to check with your pediatrician on your child’s tetanus shots.
What to do if an unknown Dog Bites my Child?
- Seek medical help or call 911
- Identify the dog owner
- Call animal control
- Photograph your child’s injuries
- Contact your attorney if you want to pursue the matter in a court
Why a Dog Bites Children in the Face?
Face bites are not unprovoked. It is not like your dog will bite your little one randomly. Your child may have climbed over the dog, hit him, pulled the hair, or played around when he was eating, sleeping, or relaxing. Pet owners usually assume that since the dog is older, he may ignore the child and let him go. This isn’t the case. Dogs are loving creatures, but they are animals; they’ll attack anyone if they think they are in danger.
How to Prevent Dog Bites in Children?
The best way to keep your child safe around a dog is supervision. It is better not to leave little ones alone with pets even if you’ve trained it yourself and it is a family dog. However, some people trust dogs around their kids. It depends on your trust level with your pet. Here are a few tips to keep your child safe around dogs.
- Never let your children play with a dog while he is eating or sleeping.
- Teach children to be careful around pets and avoid poking, hitting, or trying to hurt them. Dogs only give respect when you show them respect.
- Don’t let your children get near to dogs when he is barking excessively.
- Educate your children not to approach strange dogs or neighbor dogs through fences.
- Children must ask permission from pet owners before patting a dog.
- Some dogs don’t like it if disturbed while eating, sleeping, or resting. They may snap at your child.
- Learn your dog’s body language. See what makes him angry and frustrated. Note when he shows teeth, licks his lips, avoids eye contact, barks, or howls, particularly when your child is around.
- Don’t let children grab the dog by the tail, steal his toys or ride him like a horse.
- The same is true for cats and any other pets.
Should you keep the dog after it bit your child?
It is a personal choice. It also depends on why the dog bites your child. If it was unprovoked, you have an easy decision to make. The decision to not let go the dog is also a scary one. What if it bites the child again? You can sit it out for a few years and then have a dog again when your child grows up and becomes sensible.
