If you’ve been injured, the type of wound that you’ve suffered can really determine how serious the ramifications are. One way that you can see this is in the difference in infection rates between surface wounds and puncture wounds.
For example, someone may suffer from a dog bite. A smaller dog with sharp teeth may cause a gash or laceration that bleeds extensively and only damages the surface. This can often look far more severe because of the greater level of bleeding, but the bleeding is actually washing out the wound and the chances of infection are lower.
A larger dog with longer teeth, however, could create a puncture wound. This will likely not bleed nearly as much and may not appear to be as serious. However, puncture wounds are a major infection risk because bacteria get pushed down into the wound itself. This could mean that, in the long run, the puncture wound is far more detrimental to someone’s health.
What can you do?
Perhaps the most important thing to do is to focus on washing the wound out as soon as the injury has occurred. Never assume that it isn’t severe because there isn’t a lot of blood. These wounds can be difficult to wash out and doing so can be painful, but it is certainly better in the long run. It is usually advisable to go to the emergency room or at least talk to your primary care physician to get medical advice on the type of treatment that will be best.
If an infection does occur, that could lead to extensive medical costs. Be sure you know how to seek financial compensation from the dog’s owner.