Top Tips on Avoiding Animal Bites and Rabies

Getting bitten by an animal is just not something that happens to you – right? These top tips will explain how to deal with a bite situation.

First things first; go out of your way to prevent being bitten. When it comes to dogs, for example, even an animal you have known for years can attack if it feels threatened. These nine ways to avoid bites will help.

• Don’t go near a dog you don’t know unless its owner is around.
• Only enter a home where a dog lives if some who can control it is also at home.
• Remember, a dog is more likely to bite when it is in pain, hungry, frightened or over excited.
• Teach your kids to keep away from any dog or cat that's sick or frightened.
• Never leave children alone with a pet – even a friendly one.Your kids might know they are just fooling around when they pull its tail but the pet might not feel the same way and retaliate.
• If you come across a couple of fighting or mating animals, never jump in to try to separate them. If you really want them to stop, use a long stick or turn the garden hose on them.
• Don’t try to feed a wild animal by hand no matter how tame it seems to be,
• If you spot an animal acting strangely – wobbling around or a nocturnal animal out in daylight – suspect rabies and keep away. Call you local animal control officer as soon as you can.
• If a hostile animal confronts you, never look it in the eye. Animals take this as a threat and may react. Just keep still.

You or someone close to you has been bitten. How you look after the bite depends on the type of wound.

• If the bite wound is not bleeding badly, wash it thoroughly for at least five minutes with mild soap and running water. Cover it with a large bandage.
• If the bite is bleeding a lot and shows no signs of stopping, do not try to clean it. The first thing to do is to hold the wound so that is higher than the victim’s heart. This reduces pressure and slows bleeding.
• If you have a gaping wound on your hands, gently press the edges together. Cover the wound with several layers of dressing (preferably sterile bandages) and press on it firmly with one hand. Don’t panic if blood soaks though. Just leave it, apply another layer of dressing and keep pressing. Keep this up until you get to a doctor or the bleeding stops.

Rabies is transmitted by the bite of unvaccinated cats and dogs and wild animals like skunks, raccoons, bats and foxes. If you're attacked by an animal and you have no idea if it has had a rabies vaccination, contact police or animal control.

If you get this virus through a bite, there’s no cure once symptoms develop but, if you get immunised within 48 hours, this nasty disease can almost always be thwarted.

If you live where rabies is common, find out about regular preventive vaccinations.

Keeping these tips in mind and knowing how to deal with animal bite situations will keep you and you family safe.