Animal Bites (Print Version)

Also called: Also called: Cat bites, Dog bites

Wild animals usually avoid people. They might attack, however, if they feel threatened, are sick, or are protecting their young or territory. Attacks by pets are more common. Animal bites rarely are life-threatening, but if they become infected, you can develop serious medical problems.

To prevent animal bites and complications from bites

Never pet, handle or feed unknown animals
Leave snakes alone
Watch your children closely around animals
Vaccinate your cats, ferrets and dogs against rabies
Spay or neuter your dog to make it less aggressive
Get a tetanus booster if you have not had one recently
Wear boots and long pants when you are in areas with venomous snakes

If an animal bites you, give the wound prompt attention and clean it well. Get medical attention if necessary.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Start Here

Cat and Dog Bites(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/healthy/firstaid/bites/203.printerview.html
Also available in Spanish http://familydoctor.org/online/famdoces/home/healthy/firstaid/bites/203.printerview.html
How to Stay Safe around Animals(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/kid/watch/house/animals.html

Overviews

Animal Bites(American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) - http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00002

Diagnosis/Symptoms

Snakebite(DSHI Systems) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.freemd.com/snakebite/visit-virtual-doctor.htm

Prevention/Screening

Animal-Associated Hazards: Health Information for International Health(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/yellowBookCh6-Animal.aspx
Dog Bite Prevention(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/duip/biteprevention.htm
Snakebites: Reducing Your Risk(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/healthy/firstaid/bites/153.printerview.html
Also available in Spanish http://familydoctor.org/online/famdoces/home/healthy/firstaid/bites/153.printerview.html

Specific Conditions

Animal and Human Bites of the Hand(American Society for Surgery of the Hand) - http://www.assh.org/Content/NavigationMenu/PatientsPublic/HandConditions/AnimalBites/Animal_Bites.htm
Animal Bites: First Aid(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/first-aid-animal-bites/FA00044/METHOD=print
Human Bites(Merck & Co., Inc.) - http://www.merck.com/mmhe/sec24/ch298/ch298c.html
Human Bites: First Aid(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/first-aid-human-bites/FA00057/METHOD=print
Lizard Bites(Merck & Co., Inc.) - http://www.merck.com/mmhe/sec24/ch298/ch298e.html
Marine Animal Stings and Bites(Merck & Co., Inc.) - http://www.merck.com/mmhe/sec24/ch298/ch298l.html
Snakebites: First Aid(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/first-aid-snake-bites/FA00047/METHOD=print
What You Should Know about Dog Bite Prevention(American Veterinary Medical Association) - http://www.avma.org/animal_health/brochures/dog_bite/dog_bite_brochure.asp
Also available in Spanish http://www.avma.org/animal_health/brochures/dog_bite/dog_bite_brochure_spanish.asp

Related Issues

Can I Get HIV from a Bite?(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/resources/qa/qa33.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/spanish/resources/qa/qa33.htm

Clinical Trials

ClinicalTrials.gov: Bites and Stings(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Bites+and+Stings%22
ClinicalTrials.gov: Cats(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Cats%22
ClinicalTrials.gov: Dogs(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Dogs%22
ClinicalTrials.gov: Snake Bites(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Snake+Bites%22

Journal Articles

References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

Article: Distinctive epidemiologic and clinical features of common krait (Bungarus caeruleus)... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18784244&tool=MedlinePlus
Article: Coagulopathy in patients who experience snakebite. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18646512&tool=MedlinePlus
Article: Canalicular involvement in dog bite related eyelid lacerations. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18645435&tool=MedlinePlus
Animal Bites -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=(bites+and+stings[majr]+AND+(dogs[mh]+OR+cats[mh]))+OR+snake+bites[mh]+NOT+(rabies[mh]+OR+veterinary+medicine[mh])+AND+humans[mh]+AND+english[la]+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt]+OR+case+reports[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus

Medical Encyclopedia

animals - http://vsearch.nlm.nih.gov/vivisimo/cgi-bin/query-meta?v:project=medlineplus&binning-state=group%3d%3dMedical%20Encyclopedia&query=animals

Organizations

American Academy of Family Physicians - http://familydoctor.org/
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - http://www.cdc.gov/
Also available in Spanish http://www.cdc.gov/spanish/

Children

Dog Bites: How to Teach Your Children to Be Safe(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/healthy/safety/kids-family/668.printerview.html
Also available in Spanish http://familydoctor.org/online/famdoces/home/healthy/safety/kids-family/668.printerview.html
How to Stay Safe around Animals(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/kid/watch/house/animals.html

You may also be interested in these MedlinePlus related pages:

Animal Diseases and Your Health - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/animaldiseasesandyourhealth.html
Cat Scratch Disease - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/catscratchdisease.html
Insect Bites and Stings - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/insectbitesandstings.html
Monkeypox Virus Infections - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/monkeypoxvirusinfections.html
Rabies - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/rabies.html
Immune System - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/immunesystem.html
Injuries and Wounds - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/injuriesandwounds.html

Animal Bites - Multiple Languages - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/languages/animalbites.html