First Aid and Safety Animal Bites

Animal Bites
Animal bite & scratche that break the skin can sometimes cause infection. Some bites need to be closed with stitches while others heal on their own. Rarely animal bites, particularly from wild animals can lead to rabies, a life threatning disease. Bats, raccoons, skunks, dogs, and foxes transmit most cases of rabies.

What to Do?

• Wash the bite area with water and soap; apply pressure with sterile gauze or a clean cloth if the bite is bleeding.
• If the bleeding has stopped, apply antibiotic ointment.
• Cover the area with a bandare or sterile gauze.
• Offer the child acetaminophen or ibuprofen for pain.

Seek Medicle Care if:
-the bite was from
- a wild or stary animal
- an animal that isn't up-to-date on rabies shots
- an animal that is acting strangley

• the bite has broken the skin
• the bite is on the face, head, neck, hand, foot & near a joint
• a bite or scratch becomes red, swollen, or increasingly painful
• the child is behind the shots or has not had a tetanus shot within 5 year

When seeking treatment, have the following information:

• the kind of animal which bite the child
• date of the animal's last rabies vaccination if known
• any recent unusual behavior from the animal
• the animal's location, if known
• the animal was a stary or wild, or was captured by a local control service
• the child's immunization record
• a list of the child's medication allergies

Think Prevention!

Many animal bites can be prevented. Always keep a close eye on young children around animals, even pets. Teach kids not to tease pets, to handle them gently, and to stay away from wild or stary animals.