Negative experiences with dogs can be scary and physically dangerous. If you’ve been bitten by a dog, you should not only seek medical attention for the wound of the bite itself (puncture marks, lacerations, broken skin or bones), but also for any medical problems that may occur at a later time. Infections can take a while to manifest, but are often worse than the initial bite and can take much longer to heal. Infections happen in two major ways:
- transfer of an infection from the dog to you during the bite (such as rabies)
- an infection not from the dog entering your body later (bacteria from another source)
Bites from dogs and other animals often occur on the fingers or hands, which have a harder time fighting off bacteria that have been trapped in your skin. In addition to redness, pain, swelling and inflammation, if the area of your bite starts to show any of the following symptoms, you may have an infection and you’ll want to get medical treatment immediately:
- pus or oozing fluid
- tenderness
- loss of sensation or feeling
- lost use of finger or hand
- red streaks
- swollen lymph nodes
- flu-like symptoms (fever, chills, etc.)
- fatigue
- difficulty breathing
- weak muscles or tremors
If you’re a New Jersey resident and you want to speak to our dog attack attorney about your case, please call David Cowhey, the New Jersey Dog Bite Lawyer, at 609-513-0627 or contact us online for a free consultation.
