For a dog bite, start by washing the wound with soap and water under pressure from a faucet for at least five minutes. Then apply an over-the-counter antibiotic cream or ointment and cover it with a clean bandage. That sequence, done promptly, is the single most effective thing you can do to prevent infection before you get further care.
How to Clean the Wound
Hold the bite under running tap water and use regular soap. The mechanical pressure of the faucet is what matters here: it physically flushes bacteria out of the wound. Keep it under the water for at least five minutes. Resist the urge to scrub, which can bruise damaged tissue and actually make things worse.
Skip hydrogen peroxide and rubbing alcohol. Both can damage healthy tissue around the bite and slow healing. Plain soap and pressurized water from your faucet is more effective at reducing bacterial load than either of those common medicine-cabinet options.
What to Apply After Washing
Once the wound is clean, apply a thin layer of over-the-counter antibiotic ointment (the kind you’d use on any cut or scrape). This keeps the wound moist, creates a mild barrier against bacteria, and helps the skin begin healing. Cover the area with a clean bandage or sterile gauze and change the dressing at least once a day, or whenever it gets wet or dirty.
For deeper puncture wounds, washing and bandaging still applies, but you should plan to see a doctor the same day. Puncture wounds are deceptive. They look small on the surface but can push bacteria deep into tissue where topical ointment can’t reach.
Bites That Need Medical Attention
Minor surface scratches from a vaccinated household dog can usually be managed at home with the steps above. But several situations call for professional care:
- Deep or gaping wounds that expose fat, muscle, or bone
- Bites on the hands or fingers, which carry a higher infection risk because of the tendons and joints close to the surface
- Face or scalp bites, which often need stitches for cosmetic reasons
- Bites from an unknown or unvaccinated dog
- Any bite in someone with diabetes or a weakened immune system
Facial wounds are typically stitched closed right away because the face has strong blood supply and heals well, and leaving the wound open can result in noticeable scarring. Hand and limb bites are often left open intentionally. Closing a high-risk wound traps bacteria inside, so doctors frequently clean the wound thoroughly and let it heal from the inside out.
Antibiotics and When They’re Prescribed
Not every dog bite requires prescription antibiotics, but doctors often prescribe a preventive course for deeper wounds, hand bites, or bites in people with compromised immune systems. The standard treatment is a three- to seven-day course of a broad-spectrum antibiotic that covers the specific mix of bacteria found in dog saliva.
Your doctor will make this call based on the wound’s depth, location, and your overall health. If antibiotics are prescribed, the goal is prevention, not treatment of an existing infection.
Tetanus and Rabies Considerations
Dog bites count as “dirty wounds” in tetanus guidelines because saliva is involved. If you’ve completed your primary tetanus vaccination series but your last booster was five or more years ago, you’ll likely need a new one. If your vaccination history is unknown or incomplete, a tetanus shot is recommended regardless of the wound’s severity.
Rabies is rare in domestic dogs in the United States, but it’s still a consideration when the dog is unknown, stray, or behaving strangely. A public health professional will assess the risk. If rabies exposure is possible, treatment involves a series of vaccine doses plus an immune globulin injection. This combination is effective at any point before symptoms appear, so there’s no hard deadline, but starting sooner is always better.
How to Spot an Infection
Even with proper cleaning, dog bite infections can develop anywhere from 8 hours to 3 days after the bite. The earliest signs are increasing redness spreading outward from the wound and pain that gets worse instead of better. As infection progresses, you may notice warmth around the bite, pus or cloudy drainage, red streaks extending away from the wound, swelling, or fever.
Some redness and soreness right after a bite is normal and reflects the initial trauma. The difference is trajectory. Normal healing gets a little better each day. Infection gets noticeably worse, especially after the first 24 hours. If you see red streaks or pus, that’s not a wait-and-see situation.
Minimizing Scarring
Once the wound has fully closed, scar management becomes the priority. Keep the new skin moisturized and protected from sun exposure, which can darken scars permanently. Silicone-based scar sheets or gels, available over the counter, are the best-studied option for flattening and fading scars over time.
Wounds that were stitched tend to heal with better cosmetic results than those left open. Research on dog bite repair has found that medical-grade skin adhesive produces results comparable to traditional stitches for appropriate wounds. If scarring is a concern, especially on visible areas like the face, ask your doctor about closure options early, since the window for stitching a wound is limited to the first several hours after the bite.