About Us | Privacy | Site Map
February 10, 2012
Font Size
A
A
A
1
2
3
...
Next»

Land Animal Bite

Medical Author:
Scott H Plantz, MD, FAAEM
Medical Editor:
N Stuart Harris, MD, MFA
Medical Editor:
Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD
Medical Editor:
James Kimo Takayesu, MD

Land Animal Bite Overview

A person attacked by a land animal should attempt to identify the type of animal, the time of the injury, and the nature of the attack.

  • Animal bites can occur on any dive or wilderness trip.

  • Unprovoked animal bites are particularly dangerous. The possibility of a cat, dog, or wild animal having rabies is high, especially in less-developed countries.

  • Bites from humans, dogs, and cats often lead to severe infections. Puncture wounds are very dangerous because they inject bacteria deep into the tissues.

  • Bites to the hand, wrist, foot, or joint are very dangerous and require immediate medical attention.

  • Infection is a major concern with bites because a local wound infection may develop in as little as 24 hours.

Next Page:
Land Animal Bite Symptoms»
1
2
3
...
Next»

Privacy Policy

Women's Health

Find out what women really need.



Land Animal Bite

Rabies »

Rabies Overview

Rabies is a disease humans may get from being bitten by an animal infected with the rabies virus. Rabies has been recognized for over 4,000 years. Yet, despite great advances in diagnosing and preventing it, today rabies is almost always deadly in humans who contract it and do not receive treatment.

Rabies can be totally prevented with appropriate treatment. You must recognize the exposure and promptly get appropriate medical care before you develop the symptoms of rabies.

  • Human rabies is quite rare in the United States. Yet in some areas of the world (for example, Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America), human rabies is much more common. About 55,000 people worldwide die from rabies each year, with the majority of deaths occurring in Africa and Asia. Worldwide, the majority of human rabies cases involve bites from rabid dogs, although this is extremely rare in the U.S., where wild animals such as raccoons and bats being the pri...

Read the Rabies article »


Read What Your Physician is Reading on Medscape

Bites, Animal »

Because many animal bites are never reported, determining the exact incidence of animal bite wounds in the United States, let alone the world, is difficult.

Read More on Medscape Reference »

Featured Topics

First Aid & Injuries Topics

Medical Dictionary


or A-Z List
Use Pill Finder Find it Now

Pill Identifier on RxList

  • quick,
    easy,
    pill identification

Find a Local Pharmacy

  • including
    24 hour
    pharmacies