What should you do first if you get bitten by a dog?

Many people are confused about "what to do if you get bitten by a dog", how to handle it to avoid infection and ensure the safety of the person bitten. Doctor said that after being bitten by a dog, it is necessary to calm the bitten person to avoid causing panic in the pet, quickly leave the dangerous area and perform proper first aid steps for the wound, and finally urgently take the bitten person to a medical facility to be examined and vaccinated against rabies as soon as possible.

The person bitten also needs to determine whether the dog has been vaccinated against rabies by asking the owner directly (you can ask to see the vaccination history to confirm that the dog has been vaccinated). If you lose track of the dog and cannot track it, you need to get vaccinated against rabies immediately.

Treating wounds when bitten by a dog according to the standard first aid steps
When bitten by a dog, the most important thing is to provide first aid immediately to avoid infection and minimize the risk of rabies infection. If the bite is in a visible location, the bitten person can perform first aid themselves. In other cases, the bite is severe and in a dangerous location, it is necessary to urgently go to a medical facility for first aid and timely treatment.

1. Cleaning the wound

The Department of Preventive Medicine - Ministry of Health recommends that when attacked by dogs, cats, pets, including animals that have been vaccinated against rabies, the wound should be cleaned with soap under clean running water for 15 minutes to wash away the virus, thereby minimizing the risk of rabies. Then continue to disinfect the wound with 45-70% alcohol, iodine alcohol or povidone-iodine (if available). Note: when cleaning the wound, you need to do it gently to avoid crushing the wound or causing further damage, avoid closing the wound. In case the wound needs to be sutured, it should be delayed for a few hours to 3 days and should be sutured intermittently/without stitches.

2. Check the bite

For bites that do not bleed, have little bleeding, bruises or minor scratches on the skin, you can treat the wound yourself at home. On the contrary, for deep and large bites over 2cm, with continuous bleeding, you need to clean the wound quickly to avoid the risk of excessive blood loss, and quickly go to a medical facility for timely treatment.

3. Stop bleeding

In the case of deep bites, multiple bites causing heavy bleeding, it is necessary to use a medical bandage to stop the bleeding for about 15 minutes. If the wound bleeds in streams, making it difficult to stop the bleeding normally, a rubber tourniquet can be used to help stop the bleeding temporarily.

4. Bandage the wound

After the wound has been cleaned and the bleeding has stopped, it is necessary to bandage the wound. Use a handkerchief, face towel, or bath towel to make a cushion by pressing directly on the bitten skin area, then use a rubber band to wrap around the wound, with moderate force so that blood can still circulate.

5. Vaccination

After performing first aid properly, it is necessary to quickly take the bitten person to a vaccination facility or hospital to have the bite examined. Based on the health condition and the extent of the injury, the doctor will prescribe appropriate rabies and tetanus vaccinations. In some emergency cases, the bitten person may be prescribed additional serum injections to help neutralize the toxin.

6. Monitor both the person and the dog

During the first 10 days after being bitten by a dog, the patient needs to monitor his or her health and the condition of the dog/pet. This is an important issue that many people often ignore, because after having a rabies attack and biting a person, they only live for about 10 days. If after 10 days of monitoring, the animal is still healthy, it means that when biting a person, they did not have rabies and could not transmit the virus to people. In case you cannot monitor your pet after biting you, to ensure your health, you should get a rabies vaccine as soon as possible to treat the disease promptly.