To all pet parents who claim their dog has never bitten anyone or will never bite, and especially to everyone who has heard a pet parent tell them that their dog has never bitten and will not bite,
Dogs do not bite until they do! That doesn’t mean that all dogs bite. It means that precautions need to be taken because there can always be a first time. No matter how sweet and adorable, kind, gentle, and loving your dog or someone else’s dog might be, there can be circumstances that will cause a dog to react in an unexpected way.
When a dog growls, he is warning you not to come any closer. Usually, most family dogs will not take that action further than the warning but there is always a possibility that a bite will shortly follow.
Even very small breeds can cause serious damage with just one bite. The pressure of a dog’s jaws ranges from approximately 70 psi to 700 psi (pounds per square inch.) Obviously, that range is teacup to large breed.
I’m sharing this information because unlike most of my readers, I spend my days working with a wide variety of dogs. That includes small to large, puppy to senior, home bred to rescue, and even temperament to reactive to aggressive.
Thursday, July 6th, I was bitten on my leg through my jeans. I had nine (9) puncture wounds and multiple pressure wounds. Luckily, this dog was vaccinated as it was a rescued dog that was vaccinated by the rescue organization before being placed in his new home. Luckily, I was up to date on my tetanus vaccine which is required every 5 years. I was fortunate in my misfortune. Yet, I still needed medical attention.
Dog bites can be very serious. Puncture wounds can easily become infected starting from the bottom of the puncture where you can’t see it. The photo of my bite wound is from today, five days after the bite happened, and 4500 mgs. of antibiotics later, with five more days of 900 mgs. of antibiotics per day to be taken.
I attached the General Instruction sheet for dog bite wound care given to me to take home. The purpose of showing this information is to demonstrate how serious even the bite of a small dog can be. This is NOT meant to replace seeking medical treatment if you’re bitten by a dog. The dog that bit me is only about 25 lbs.
