It’s one thing to treat a dog bite on yourself, but learning how to treat a dog bite on a dog is something else entirely. If your dog gets bitten by another dog, it’s important to know how to treat the wound properly.
Preventative Measures!
The first thing that you can do is try to prevent your pup from getting bit. You don’t need to know how to treat a dog bite on a dog if they don’t get bitten in the first place.
There are a few tricks to keep in mind.
- If you notice that your dog is getting aggressive with another dog, grab the aggressor by the back legs and pull them away. This can put an end to the altercation without hurting the dogs.
- You can also spray the dogs with water or toss a blanket over them. Giving them a spritz of citronella or another harmless dog repellant can also break up the fight.
If your dog does get in a fight with another dog, make sure to get in contact with the other dog’s owner. Exchange information. This can help ensure that you get the proper information about the other dog (whether it has rabies shots, etc.)
If your dog ends up seriously injured, the other dog’s owner may also be willing to contribute to the vet bill.
Checking for Wounds
If your dog just got out of a scrap, then the next thing you’re going to need to do is to make sure that they’re not hurt too badly. Unfortunately, this can be easier said than done – especially if your dog has long hair.
You’ll need to check for puncture wounds. These can be difficult to find, even on short-haired dogs. Make sure that you gently and carefully touch the areas around your dog’s neck, chest, and sides to find out if there are any puncture marks.
How to Treat a Dog Bite on a Dog
So you’ve done your assessment and found out that your dog does, indeed, have a bite wound. How do you treat a dog bite on a dog?
Smaller, superficial wounds can usually be dealt with at home since they’re not likely to lead to serious infections. You can apply simple antibiotic creams or lotions after washing the wound and your dog should do fine.
If you have a more serious puncture wound, however, you should definitely seek the help of a veterinarian. These bites can lead to infections and may even require surgical intervention.
If you take your dog to the vet, you can expect a fairly straightforward procedure.
- Small bites – such as those you could treat at home – are usually just treated with disinfectant and possibly antibiotics.
- If your dog has a deep or seriously infected wound, your dog may be put under anesthesia to remove the damaged tissues.
- In serious cases, your dog may need an X-ray or an ultrasound to assess the damage.
Conclusion
If your dog gets bitten by another dog, you may need to see a veterinarian.
Depending on how serious the wound is, your dog may require intervention. Fortunately, most dog bites are not terribly serious and many can be treated at home.
It may be worth your time to look into natural methods of fighting infection. Natural methods have been used for treating many dog problems, such as cysts and inflammation.
