Anger
The most fearful danger following a dog bite injury is the transmission of ANGER. The virus responsible for this disease is transmitted through saliva, with an incubation period ranging from 20 days to a year (on average from one to three months).
- ASPECIFIC PRODUCT PHASE: lasts 1-4 days and is characterized by fever, headache, malaise, anorexia, fatigue, dry throat, irritating cough, tingling at the injection site, vomiting and diarrhea.
- PHASE OF ENCEPHALITIS: crisis of motor hyperactivity, agitation, confusion, hallucinations, signs of meningitis. Hypersensitivity to noise and light.
- PHASE OF DYSFUNCTION OF THE CEREBRAL TRUNK: deficit of the cranial nerves with diplopia ("double" vision), facial paralysis and swallowing disorders: hydrophobia (refusal to drink, failure to swallow saliva that foams the mouth). Death from respiratory failure. For this reason, the drool on the dog's mouth that caused the accident is an important alarm bell which, together with its aggression, should raise suspicion of a possible rabid state.
Remember that rabies can also be transmitted by the bite of other animals (such as fox, monkey, cat and wolf) or by simple contact with their saliva (licking wounds or abrasions). It must be said, however, that in Italy rabies is absolutely not widespread among pets; the rare episodes that have occurred in recent years have mainly concerned the wild foxes that populate the northern regions, bordering on Austria, Switzerland and Slovenia. For this reason, when you go on holiday with your dog in these places it is good to submit it prior to rabies vaccination.
What to do?
Apart from anger, when you are bitten by a dog it must be kept in mind that in the mouth of the animal there are bacteria and fermented food residues which, entering the wound, can cause serious infections, up to gangrene.
If the patient is not vaccinated or there are doubts about it, tetanus prophylaxis is useful, since the type of lesion strongly increases the risk of anaerobic infection (tetanus).
After being bitten by a dog, it is therefore important to immediately and abundantly wash the wound with a soapy solution, rinse and disinfect (even when the wound is mild or modest). Hydrogen peroxide is useful, to be used generously for the aforementioned risk of infection by anaerobes (bacteria that live in the absence of oxygen).
Ask the patient to contact the competent Hygiene Office to check the health situation of the dog that bit him (even when the wound is slight or modest).
If the animal is suspicious and it is not possible to keep it under observation in the days following the bite, rabies vaccine prophylaxis is indicated which, given the long incubation of the disease, allows the establishment of an effective immune response before the virus attacks the nervous system. central.
Preventing bites and assaults
The news reports, unfortunately more and more frequently, episodes of serious aggression, sometimes with a fatal outcome, by dogs trained to fight. If you find yourself in a similar situation, before the attack of the dog, if you have the time, it is essential to remain calm. "possible attack. In any case, the best thing to do is to stay calm, stop, possibly to the side and not in front of the dog (to expose a smaller body surface to the possible attack), but always keeping a watchful eye on it and being ready. protection of the neck and face; no shouting. Keeping a cool head, the dog is likely to stop running a few centimeters from you, pointing and continuing to bark angrily. but do not make sudden movements or any other gesture to try to intimidate him; probably after a few minutes, when he is called back by the master or spontaneously he will step back slowly. At this point, you can move away just as cautiously, without running and without ever turning your back on the animal.
It must be said, however, that these situations are quite rare and that most of the time dogs bite because we have given them a good reason to do so. Therefore, especially if you do not know the animal, it is good to follow some rules: avoid invading its territory, especially in the absence of the owner; do not caress it without having the explicit consent of the guardian and pay close attention to small children, often dogs, even the most docile, bite them out of jealousy or fear (the child is often clumsy with the animal, or tends to scream and scare it).
The main rule to follow to prevent dog bites is therefore not to frighten and not to be frightened.
.jpg)
