The fact that children live with animals has multiple benefits for their development, both physically and emotionally. However, we must take precautions when interacting with them, as they could bite or scratch us, sometimes even playing.
We explain how to act if the child is bitten or scratched by an animal, and what precautions should we take to avoid incidents with pets.
Unknown or wild pets and animals
Many people believe that injuries caused by animals are more frequent in wild, stray or unknown, than in domestic animals. But the truth is that most animal bites and scratches that occur in the family environment itself.
According to the Healthy Children portal, 1% of pediatric emergency visits are for this reason, especially the injuries caused by dogs and cats. But also other pets such as rabbits, reptiles and rodents can bite.
Pet bites occur especially in the summer months, and among children ages five to nine.What are the most affected areas?
Usually, injuries in children caused by bites and scratches they are located in hands, arms and even the genital area. In infants or younger children, due to their lower height, they could also be located in the head, neck and face.
The feet, hands and face are the areas with higher risk of infection, so if the injury occurs in these areas we should immediately consult with the pediatrician.
Which bites have a higher risk of infection?
In general, animal bites or scratches have a high risk of infection due to bacteria present in saliva and nails. However, according to experts the greatest risk is found in cat bites, which tend to get infected 50% of the time, while dog and rodent bites become infected 15% and 2.5% of the time, respectively.
Cat bites are more dangerous because their fangs are much sharper than those of dogs, so when they nail the tooth they penetrate deeper into the skin, being able to carry bacteria to the joints and tendon sheaths.
How to act before a bite or scratch of an animal?
Before a bite or scratch we must act as follows:
Wash the wound as soon as possible with running water and soap, or use a sterile saline water solution. If we have clean latex or rubber gloves, we can use them to protect ourselves and prevent the wound from becoming infected.
Cap with a sterile bandage or gauze until it stops bleeding. If it bleeds heavily and the wound is in some limb, we will raise it above the heart.
If it is a non-puncture wound, we will cover with sterile gauze.
In Babies and more Wounds, cuts and scrapes: how they heal and when to go to the doctor It is recommended to consult with the doctor before any bite or scratch caused by an animal, especially if it is located in areas with greater tendency to infection.The pediatric will evaluate the administration of antibiotic and check if the child is vaccinated against tetanus or if he needs rabies protection. Rabies is a very rare but highly fatal disease, and is caused by the bites and scratches of infected animals, rabid dogs being the main cause, followed by wild animals such as raccoon or bats.
Therefore, if the wound is caused by an unknown and stray animal, it is advisable to request professional help to capture him, so that he can be examined by a veterinarian who determines his state of health.
It is also important to keep in mind that after an incident with an animal the child could develop a phobia. If you perceive that this happens it is advisable to consult it as soon as possible with a specialist to help you overcome it.
When to go to the emergency room?
If the child does not have the tetanus vaccine.
If the wound does not stop bleeding after 10 minutes applying pressure on it.
If the wound is more than 1.5 cm in length, it appears to be deep or is related to serious wounds.
If after a few days, the bite or scratch begin to show redness, temperature, swells or hurts more and more.
If we observe pus or secretion in the area of the bite.
If they start to appear red stripes that extend from the bite.
If the child have a weakened immune system or suffer from a medical condition that favors the contraction of infections.
If the animal that has bitten the child is wild, stray or does not have his rabies vaccine.
What precautions should we take to avoid such incidents
The coexistence between children and pets can be really wonderful and beneficial for both, but it is important to educate the child in respect for the animal. In this way, we will not only be forming a future adult respectful of nature and animals, but we will avoid possible risk situations.
In Babies and more My son is afraid of dogs: how can you help him overcome itBetween the prevention measures that we must instill in our children Before starting to live with animals or come into contact with dogs and cats are:
Animals they should never be disturbed while eating or sleeping. Likewise, it is important not to approach them sharply, not run around them, or scare them.
The children they should never bother an animal pulling the tail, ears or hair, for example. Although for the child it may be a game or a way of experimenting, especially if it is a baby, the animal may feel attacked and react by biting.
Babies and dogs should never be left alone in an unsupervised stay.
Do not approach stray animals, and if you want to pet an unknown dog or cat, ask the owner beforehand about the character of the animal.
If an unknown dog approaches us, we must remain calm, remain still or retreat very slowly.
Do not pet a dog through a fence or fence, or reaching into your property.
Teach children to identify the warning signs that could precede the attack of an animal, such as barking, grunting, agitation, nervousness, very large pupils and ruffled hair in the case of cats ...
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