Animal Bite

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

Signs/Symptoms

Care

WHAT YOU SHOULD DO

• Keep the area around the bite clean. Wash it with soap and water 3 or 4 times a day.
• To decrease pain and swelling, you can put ice on the bite during the first 1 or 2 days. Sit or lie so the area of the bite is raised above your heart (You can put pillows under an injured leg when lying in bed).
• You may take over-the-counter medications such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen to relieve the pain.
• If you have been given a tetanus shot, your arm may get swollen, red, and warm to the touch at the shot site. This is a normal response to the medicine in the shot.

Call Your Doctor If...

• There is numbness or tingling in the area of the bite.
• There are signs of infection (redness, red streaking or pus coming from the wound, or warmth or swelling in the area of the bite).
• You develop a high temperature.
• You have pain or difficulty moving the injured part.
• You get tender lumps in the groin or under the arm.

Seek Care Immediately If...

• You are having trouble talking, walking, or breathing.
• You are having trouble swallowing and your jaw and neck are stiff.