Medical Treatment for Dog Bites
If you require serious medical treatment after a dog attack, contact Cohen & Cohen to speak with a top dog bite lawyer Arlington VA offers. Our attorneys have helped many victims of serious dog attacks recover maximum damages from the negligent owner.
An Arlington VA dog bite lawyer can make sure that your rights are protected. Call us at Cohen & Cohen to arrange a free consultation to review your case.
Dog bites can be very serious and require extensive medical treatment. The risk of complications from a dog attack is high when the wound is severe. If you have been seriously injured by a dog, seek immediate medical attention. Here is some general information about treating dog bites.
Treatment Procedures
The majority of dog bite wounds can be treated in an emergency room. However, even without major surgery, emergency room bills can be unexpectedly large. Having a dog bite lawyer Arlington VA trusts by your side, you have a much better chance of receiving maximum damages from the dog’s owner. This can allow you to afford the medical attention you need. In most cases, treatment consists of these steps:
- Inspection of the wound. A thorough inspection can be difficult when the patient has not undergone general or local anesthesia. It’s very important for the doctor to determine the depth of the wound. Additionally, if the wound has occurred in an area of the body that normally has movement, such as the shoulder, elbow, or knee, the doctor will test for range of motion.
- Debridement of the wound to remove objects which may include dead tissue, blood clots, dirt, pieces or complete dog teeth, etc. This prevents the objects from causing infection of the wound. The cleaner and sharper the wound edges are, the smaller the scars will be. it will also promote faster healing.
- Irrigation of the wound, very often flushing it with betadine or a similar antiseptic solution. This is primarily to prevent infection of the wound. For the more severe and dirtier wounds, surgical irrigation may be required.
- Closure of the wound, if the physician determines this is more advantageous than leaving it open. When the wound has been sufficiently cleaned and antibiotics are taken, the physician may close the wound to minimize scarring from the healing process. This does not guarantee that scarring will not occur. A skilled dog bite lawyer Arlington VA provides can help you get compensation from the dog’s owner if it caused you significant scarring.
Additional Treatment
Keep copies of all medical treatment related to the dog attack injury. This is necessary for developing your case after a dog bite lawyer Arlington VA relies on agrees to represent you. Documentation of your medical procedures and costs is key.
In addition to the treatment steps outlined earlier, and dependent on the severity of the dog bite, the patient may undergo any or all of these common treatments:
- Radiology. If the dog bite penetrated the bone or fractured it, the patient will have Magnetic Resonance Imaging or a computed tomography scan. An experienced dog bite lawyer Arlington VA provides will need to see any scanned images.
- Antibiotics. Depending on test results, any of several antibiotics may be prescribed.
- Hospitalization. This may happen if any of the following symptoms are present:
- Fever
- Sepsis
- Spreading bacterial infection on the skin’s surface or in the skin tissue
- Crush injury
- Severe swelling
- Loss of function in the area of the wound, such as fingers not able to move or the knee can’t bend
- If the patient has a compromised immune system and there is a strong possibility that infection of the wound may develop
Preventing Rabies
As a preventative measure, a dog bite victim may be treated with tetanus and rabies shots to reduce the likelihood of contracting rabies and/or infection. If the dog bite victim is confident that they recently had a tetanus shot, another shot is usually not given. In some cases, even the stress of worrying about one’s health following a dog attack can be eligible for damages. A top dog bite lawyer Arlington VA respects can review your case and determine what damages you are likely to recover through a claim or lawsuit.
Inpatient Medical Care
If a dog bite is infected, the victim may have to be hospitalized. This depends on several factors:
- What is the general health of the patient?
- What is the extent of the infection?
- What type of infection is it?
- What is the likelihood that the patient will recover without hospitalization?
- Will the patient require extensive treatment of the injured area?
- Will plastic surgery be necessary?
- Was the skull penetrated and in need of neurosurgery?
Possible Complications from Dog Bite Wounds
Dog bite wounds can escalated into a very serious injury, even after initial treatment. This is especially true if the wound becomes infected. Common complications from dog bite wounds include:
- Sepsis
- Wound infection
- Cosmetic deformities
- Loss of a limb
- Loss of bodily function in the area of the dog bite wound
Follow Up Care Post Treatment
Long term monitoring may be needed following a dog bite. Infection can begin in 24-48 hours after the attack occurred. Because symptoms do not always present immediately, it is important to not delay in contacting a dog bite lawyer Arlington VA dog attack victims recommend.
If additional medical care is required, your dog bite lawyer in Arlington VA can include current as well as anticipated medical and related costs in the claim or lawsuit. Common examples are:
- Antibiotics (another round or different antibiotics if the first one was ineffective)
- Plastic surgery (a dog bite lawyer Arlington VA turns to for legal assistance can advise you on what costs may be covered by the negligent party)
- More extensive wound cleaning
- Blood and other medical tests
- Hospitalization
- Physical therapy
- Treatment for post-traumatic stress syndrome
- Lost wages
- Lost benefits
- Prosthetics
- Medical exams
If you were severely injured from a dog attack, the dog’s owner should be held liable for your damages. Contact Cohen & Cohen today to speak with a dog bite lawyer Arlington VA citizens know will fight hard for them.
