Treat Animal Bites

This is a simple guide to treating animal bites.

Steps

Wash the area with soap and water if the bite broke the skin. Any tenderness or slight swelling should disappear within hours.
Wash the area with soap and water, and apply pressure with a clean cloth or sterile gauze if there is any bleeding. Rinse the wound with peroxide or rubbing alcohol to prevent infection.
Go to the nearest hospital immediately if:
- The bite seems very deep or covers a large area
- The bite is bleeding excessively or won't stop bleeding
- The bite was from a wild or stray animal
- The bite was from a sick animal, or an animal that has been displaying unusual or aggressive behavior.
- The bite is showing signs of infection (oozing pus, becoming swollen, red, or very itchy)
- If you suspect the animal was poisonous
be sure to have this information with you if you end up going to the hospital:
- The kind of animal the bite was from.
- If the animal was healthy, or if it was ill and/or behaving strangely (if known)
- If the animal was a pet, or if it was wild or stray (if known).
- If your not sure what kind of animal the bite was from, try to remember what it looked like (i.e, color, size, markings, or any notable physical characteristics).

Tips

Preventing animal bites is very easy, it's important to always avoid stray or wild animals; never try to feed or approach them.
Never tickle, poke, chase, taunt, scream at, hit, kick, throw things at, or otherwise try to provoke or upset animals (even pets).
Avoid putting animals into scary situations. All animals (including humans) have the instinct to defend themselves if they think they are in danger.
Never try to approach an animal with babies. Most animals are very protective of their offspring and will go to any length to keep them safe, even if it means death.
It's important that children are taught these safety tips as well.
Keep your pets healthy. Make sure they are properly immunized and vaccinated regularly, and keeping them indoors is a very good idea.

Warnings

Don't use ibuprofen or any similar medications to control the pain, as they will increase bleeding.