If a dog bites you, your first priority is cleaning the wound thoroughly to reduce the risk of infection. Dog bites introduce bacteria deep into tissue, and roughly 10 to 15 percent of dog bite wounds become infected. What you do in the first few minutes matters, but so do the decisions you make over the next several days.
Clean the Wound Immediately
Run warm water over the bite for at least five minutes. If the skin is broken, gently press on the wound to encourage a small amount of bleeding, which helps flush out bacteria. After rinsing, wash the area with mild soap, working it into the wound carefully. Pat it dry with a clean cloth.
Apply an over-the-counter antibiotic ointment if you have one, then cover the bite with a clean bandage. If the wound is bleeding heavily, press a clean cloth firmly against it and hold pressure until the bleeding slows. Elevating the injured area above heart level also helps.
For puncture wounds, which are common with dog bites, avoid the urge to close the wound tightly with butterfly bandages or tape. Sealing bacteria inside a puncture wound raises the risk of a serious infection developing beneath the skin.
When You Need Medical Care
Not every dog bite requires a trip to the emergency room, but many do. Seek emergency care if the wound is large or deep, if you were bitten on the face or head, or if you can’t stop the bleeding. Bites to the hands and feet also warrant prompt medical attention because those areas have limited blood flow and a higher infection rate.
Even bites that look minor can be deceptive. A small puncture from a canine tooth can push bacteria deep into muscle or near a joint. If the bite broke the skin at all, it’s worth having a medical provider evaluate it, particularly if you have diabetes, a weakened immune system, or any condition that slows healing.
Stitches Are Not Always the Answer
You might expect a doctor to stitch up a bite wound, but that’s often not what happens. The World Health Organization recommends postponing suturing of bite wounds because closing an infected wound can trap bacteria inside and delay healing. In practice, doctors typically leave bite wounds open to drain unless the bite is on the face, where cosmetic concerns and good blood supply make immediate closure more appropriate. Deep bites may be loosely closed or packed with gauze and reassessed in a few days.
Antibiotics and Tetanus
Doctors frequently prescribe preventive antibiotics for dog bites, especially for puncture wounds, hand bites, or bites in people with compromised immune systems. A typical preventive course lasts about three days, while bites that are already showing signs of infection are treated for five to seven days. Your doctor will choose an antibiotic that covers the mix of bacteria commonly found in a dog’s mouth.
Tetanus is the other concern. The CDC classifies animal bites as “dirty or major wounds” because saliva can carry tetanus-causing bacteria. If you’ve had a complete tetanus vaccination series but your last booster was five or more years ago, you’ll need a new one. The Mayo Clinic recommends getting that booster within 48 hours of the injury. If you’re unsure when your last tetanus shot was, tell your doctor. They’ll err on the side of giving you one.
Watch for Signs of Infection
Even with proper cleaning and antibiotics, infections can develop. The bacteria most commonly introduced by dog bites can cause symptoms to appear quickly, sometimes within 12 to 24 hours. Over the next several days, watch the wound closely for these warning signs:
- Increasing redness that spreads outward from the wound, especially red streaks moving up the limb
- Swelling and warmth around the bite that gets worse rather than better
- Pus or discharge that is cloudy, yellow, or foul-smelling
- Fever or chills developing in the hours or days after the bite
- Increased pain at the site, particularly if the wound initially felt like it was improving
If any of these appear, get medical attention the same day. Bite infections can spread rapidly into deeper tissue, joints, or the bloodstream, and early treatment makes a significant difference in outcomes.
Rabies: Know the Dog’s Status
Rabies is rare in domestic dogs in the United States, but it’s fatal once symptoms appear, so it’s taken seriously after every bite. The standard protocol is straightforward: a healthy dog that bites someone is confined and observed daily for 10 days, regardless of whether the dog is up to date on its rabies vaccination. If the dog remains healthy after 10 days, it was not shedding rabies virus at the time of the bite.
If you were bitten by a dog you know, get the owner’s contact information and the dog’s vaccination records. If the dog was a stray or you can’t locate the owner, tell your doctor immediately. They’ll consult with local public health officials to determine whether you need post-exposure rabies treatment, which is a series of shots given over two weeks. The decision depends on whether rabies is circulating in your area and whether the animal can be found and observed.
Report the Bite
Most jurisdictions require dog bites to be reported to the local health department or animal control within 24 hours. This isn’t just a legal formality. Reporting triggers the quarantine and observation process that protects you from rabies. It also creates a record that can matter if the same dog bites someone else.
When you report, you’ll typically need to provide the date and location of the bite, a description of the dog, the owner’s information if you have it, and details about the circumstances. If the bite happened during business hours, contact your local health department directly. On nights and weekends, your local sheriff’s department or non-emergency police line can take the report. For bites involving serious injury, call 911.
If you can safely contain or identify the dog, do so. Avoid injuring the animal’s head, since brain tissue is needed for rabies testing if the dog becomes ill or dies during the observation period. Never attempt to capture an aggressive or unfamiliar animal yourself.
Bites on Children
Children are bitten more often than adults and are more likely to be bitten on the face, head, and neck. These bites carry higher risks of both cosmetic damage and infection because of the thinner skin and proximity to the eyes, ears, and brain. Any bite to a child’s face or head should be evaluated in an emergency department, even if it looks superficial. Children may also have trouble articulating how much pain they’re in or describing changes in the wound, so checking the bite at least twice a day during the healing period is important.