Graphic by Argus.
By Dr. Carl Palazzolo, DVM, Long Beach Animal Hospital
With their sharp, long canine teeth and their strong crushing and shearing molars, dogs can inflict serious injury on people and other animals. Deep puncture wounds can lead to infection, and the power of their jaws can maim and crush any body part.
When a dog seriously bites another animal, the injured animal should always receive veterinary attention. In addition to the obvious puncture wounds on the skin, there are numerous internal injuries that can occur and that may not be apparent.
This wound from a dog bite attack is much more serious than appears on the surface. It is deep into the muscle and needs surgical correction. Photo courtesy of LBAH.
The more serious ones involve trauma to the chest or abdomen. For example, ribs can be broken, lungs can be lacerated, spleens and bladders can be ruptured, and air can be introduced into the chest where it does not belong. At the least, these injuries can lead to shock and, when serious enough, can cause death.
Injuries to the spine, especially the neck, are common when a large dog shakes a smaller dog vigorously. They can shake them so powerfully that the spinal cord can be injured, leading to paralysis and death.
Similar injuries can occur in people bitten by dogs. Hands and arms can be wounded during attempts to fight them off. Of primary concern in humans is the transmission of rabies, a fatal disease of warm-blooded animals. Fortunately, thanks to strict rabies vaccine laws, this is a relatively rare occurrence in the United States. This is not the case in developing countries where dogs aren’t commonly vaccinated.
When we are presented with a pet that has been bitten by a dog, we treat the situation seriously, even if the wounds seem minor. After a thorough examination we clip any hair over the wounds and gently but copiously flush external wounds. If the wound is fresh, we may suture the skin.
A drain tube is placed and then sutured after extensive cleaning of he wound and surgical debridement. Photo courtesy of LBAH.
While we are treating the wounds, we institute shock therapy, usually consisting of intravenous fluids. Antibiotics are always administered in addition to pain or anti-inflammatory medication. Radiographs are routinely performed to look for internal injuries and a blood panel is administered to assess the internal organs so that we do not miss any of the serious but not apparent internal injuries.
A radiograph on the neck is needed to assess the damage when a dog shakes another animal viciously. Photo courtesy of LBAH.
We monitor the bite victim closely for the next 12 to 24 hours to assess for any changes and to make sure the pet is recovering. Internal injuries may not be apparent until long after the inciting cause, so this close monitoring is important.
Our website has more information on rabies on this link.