I have a very painful 'accidental' dog bite on my calf.  I have 2 large puncture wounds and it is still weeping and looks a mess.  My castrated male got a bit excited last night and  I was walking round it shorts and got nipped.

I will pop to docs on Monday for antibiotics and am covered by tetanus but the pain is driving me crazy.

Is there anything I can put on it to ease the pain and swelling?  I am taking painkillers but not so good.  Edited to add just took plasters off and still bleeding. :-(

Ta

x

If you need antibiotics you'd be better off starting on them straight away. Get yourself down to A&E, that's what you pay your NI for.

You poor thing.  I am a first aider and would advise you to see a doctor before Monday if possible.  If a wound is stil bleeding after 2 dressings/plasters have been applied, we have been told to send the person to the doctor or hospital.

Hi,

Yes thanks but I hate to turn up at A & E when people 'really need help'.  I might see how it is in the morning and if worse might pop along as i should take too much of their time.  It took my friend days to pursuade me to go to A & E a few years ago and I had a broken foot.  Always wondered what my NI payments were for - still trying to work out where my tax goes ha ha.

If you really can't be persuaded to go to A&E why not ring NHS direct? they may be able to advise you the best way to deal with it (ie, best way to clean it out & dress it) before you go to see your Dr on Monday. I would be worried about an infection taking hold.
As for pain I would have thought an anti-inflamatory such as Neurofen would be the most help.

>Yes thanks but I hate to turn up at A & E when people 'really need help'.  I might see how it is in the morning and if worse might pop along

Don't want to worry you but if it's infected then you might be one of those that does 'really need help' by tomorrow if the infection spreads. Better to be safe than sorry, especially if it's still painful and looking nasty. Swallow your pride :-)
(I had to be persuaded to go along to A&E with an accidental dog bite a few years ago, I'd have just stuck a plaster on it but I was 'forced' to go :-), had my hand bandaged up and given a week of antibiotics)

I was bit by one of my dogs by accident a couple of months ago on the arm.  Swelled up like a balloon and was rathr painful for about a week.  I kept on wrapping it up with cold water.  Luckily it wasn't too bad although you can still feel two lumps in my arm.

The way to stop bleeding is to apply pressure but you don't want to press so hard that you restrict the blood flow to your foot .
However , it should have stopped bleeding by now so i think a trip to A&E would be very wise . An infection can take hold and turn very nasty fast , especially as a dogs mouth isn't the cleanest of places !
Please get it checked out , you won't be wasting anyones time .

Hi again,

It happened over 24 hours ago and hurst when i walk.  Hes a BIG dog!  I might phone NHS Direct, it is red around both wounds, very swollen with a discharge of blood and what looks like water eewwww.  I am sooooo squemish.  Thanks for your concern, will ring them in a mo.  Last time I had a dog bite I had antibiotics and that one was nothing compared to these marks. My tattoos hurt less than this!!

Just telephoned NHS Direct - waiting for Nurse to call back :-) - thank you.

MIne looks alot nastier than this

http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://www.microugly.com/images/misc/100_1276-800.JPG&imgrefurl=http://www.microugly.com/page/blogs/dog-bite-photo/&h=600&w=800&sz=78&hl=en&start=22&um=1&tbnid=u_9u5_4h9WHfWM:&tbnh=107&tbnw=143&prev=/images%3Fq%3Ddog%2Bbite%26start%3D18%26ndsp%3D18%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN

When i got bit on the hand (trying to stop two dogs fighting ) I left it a day or two as i was scared of stitches . When i finally went i had to have the skin trimmed with a blade ( the skin was dead )and stapled back together, wish i had gone straight away after,,, as the staples did not hold and had to get stitches .. It was a largeish hole though ....So best thing would be to go to hospital.

Any news?

Hey FooFoo, never worry about going to A&E with something like this, they will always deal with the most serious people first. And they might just squeeze you in because you won't take up much time. The sooner you get the AB's the sooner you will recover cos the bacteria in a dogs mouth will cause a nasty infection. Hope you get well soon :)

I agree with others, you need antibiotics now, doesn't sound good that it is still weeping.

I'm very much like you and don't often visit the doctors unless I am half dead, so a trip to A & E would be dire too, but I'm learning.

I accidently, well stupidly got in the middle of a cat fight a few years ago, ran passed my garden brush that would have been the best thing to split them up and decided to grab the aggressor off my cat, seperated them, all seemed calm and then the cat sunk it's teeth into my hand, my fault, but it was a nasty bite, like you I just wrapped it up, but some TCP on it and left it.

Well, I showed hubby when he got home, it was a nasty bite and hubby frog marched me to the car :-D I needed antibiotics and a change of dressing daily, no-body thought I was wasting their time, it was just as serious as some in A & E (I couldn't even see what was wrong with most of them)

If it hurts that bad, and is still bleeding, please go to A & E, sorry to be the voice of doom but infections can make you seriously ill and at their worst kill.  I'm learning that even small things can be very serious.

Your health is never a waste of any-ones time. :-)

i got bitten yesterday morning by accident on the back of my hand, had a small flap of skin that i wasn't sure how would heal - went to A&E no stitches as they try not to with dog bite because of infection, but course of anti B's and nice dressing on it.

what was more of a shock was that because normally i pay for prescriptions they will send me the bill for the anti B's!!! didnt know you got charged for medication from A&E.

Wow!! i didn't know that, that's the first I've heard of that one....i don't pay but they've never asked either or would it be on their data base?
I wonder is this a new thing..........

I got bitten about 9 years ago when a GSD turned on my GSD and my hand was in the way.  His canine went into the back on my hand and tore along. The wound was about an inch and a half long but very deep.  Didn't bleed much but I could see the bone and muscle, and it didn't really hurt very much either but I think I was in shock. 

Anyhow I went to A & E, they cleaned it, put butterfly stitches on it, a breathable plaster and a bandage.  I got a tetanus injection but that was it, no antibiotics.  It was sore that night and for a few days later but healed well, had the bandage on for a week, the plaster for about 2 weeks and that was it.  

You definitely need it checked out when it's giving you so much bother. 

did you get it looked at foofoo? hope you did! go to the hosp or i will tell you yucky things that will freak you into going lol! better safe.

people who really need help????? you need help for this bite. I know someone who had a lesser bite than this and DIED. GET TO CASUALTY!

Infection-wise puncture wounds are far worse than a rip or gash caused by a dog bite ;)  hope you've been to A&E by now and been treated ;)

Hi,

Still here, nope not been yet, phoned NHS Direct last night and after lots of questions was told not urgent. 

Wound was very sore this afternoon and very swollen with what I can only describe as 'pus' coming our of holes ewwww.  Have kept the area clean as I can and taken more Neurofen and if I am honest it isnt as painful, the redness has spread around my calf but the area is not HOT to touch anymore, it was roasting before.  I phoned A&E this afternoon and explained but the lady who answered didnt sound very concerned - I suspect she was bored, a shark could have bitten me and she wouldnt have cared.  She said there was a 3 hours wait and that does acount for what the ambulabces bring in and then she practically yawned!!!

My docs opens at 08.30am and I will be the first in the Queue.

Edited to add took pic of it and will pop on picturetrail - lovely!

Thanks all
x

> Wound was very sore this afternoon and very swollen with what I can only describe as 'pus' coming our of holes ewwww.

I suppose that's good in the sense that the infection is draining outwards/wound is flushing itself out ? (thinking back to my dog getting run-over & needing a 'drain' in a wound to let the puss drip out of :( )

Make sure you do get in to your Dr.s in the morning (that's in my stern mum-knows-best voice ;) ), it definately sounds like an infection going on :(

Walk in Centres are also an option as they are for cases that need to be seen but not to A&E level if you get what I mean.  If they think you need referring to A&E then they will do this.  You can find out where they are on the internet.

In your case though I would go to A&E.

Sorry just noticed it was your appt today - hope it went well!

How did it go?

Hey,

Went to Nurse this morning and although leg alot better was prescribed CO-AMOXICLAV 375 MG - 3 per day. Edited to add for 7 days

Thanks all for your advice and guidance.

x

Glad your leg is a lot better :) now you have some AB's you should soon be as good-as-new!! :) :)

Another bite/ nip this eve although not bleeding - dont know what to do, I know what people will say and have said but its not that easy..... :-(

Oh dear :( are you still anti bi's?

still same lot prescribed on mon but at wits end with castrested make who was 5 on tuesday:-((((  off to bed now to cry in duvet - I have contacted behaviourist via apbc but waiting for reply

Poor you :( Let us know what the behaviourst says. Have you taken the dog to the vets to check for any underlying medical reasons (including eyesight) to his recent change in behaviour?

ETA - A shot in the dark, but thyroid problems can cause behaviour changes including exitability & agressive out bursts/aggression.

big hug foofoo.

> ETA - A shot in the dark, but thyroid problems can cause behaviour changes including exitability & agressive out bursts/aggression.

Just echoing that.  Always worth getting the thyroid out if there's no obvious cause for aggression - thyroids in dogs are very complex things and any upset in the hormones can cause all sorts of unlikely problems.

Actually yes and breed prone to thyroid it could be - but it would be overactive rather than underactive, he is from continental lines and although he is in an experienced home of over 20 years he is still a challenge, I will pop him to vets for Thyroid test and see what comes of it.

xx

edited to change terrible spelling