A dog just bit my hand and broke the ski

A dog bite that has broken the skin needs a clinician to look at it today — and if any red flag in section 4 is true, treat it as an emergency instead and go now, not tomorrow.

1) What you have done, and what to add

• Washing the bite well was the right first move. Keep it: if the wound was not rinsed thoroughly, rinse it again for a few minutes under clean cool running water with mild soap around the edges, then pat dry and cover with a clean dressing.
• Covering it was right too. Change the dressing if it gets wet or dirty, and stop lifting it to look inside.
• What needs adding tonight is not more treatment — it is the same-day review. A bite that broke the skin is not a "keep an eye on it" injury: the clinician needs to check whether tendon, nerve or a joint was involved, decide about tetanus, and answer the rabies question for this animal and your area.

2) Tonight at home — about fifteen minutes of work

• Rinse, dry, cover (as above).
• Take a photo of the hand and the dressing with the clock in frame, so the clinician tomorrow can see where it started.
• Write on a note for the phone: the date and time of the bite, where on the hand it is, the animal's rabies vaccination status and where its record is, the year of your last tetanus injection, any allergies, and every medicine you take.
• Rest the hand and support it comfortably when you sit. For pain, use only what you already use safely and according to its own label — do not start anything new and do not take anyone else's tablets.
• Keep the animal away from the bitten person and from anyone else in the house. Nobody touches the wound with bare hands, and everyone washes hands afterwards.
• Eat normally, drink normally, then sleep. An ordinary calm evening helps you judge the wound tomorrow, but the evening itself is not the treatment.

3) Please don't do these

• Do not pour hydrogen peroxide, alcohol, bleach or strong antiseptic into the bite.
• Do not use powders, herbal remedies, essential oils, toothpaste, or anything bought online.
• Do not use superglue, do not tape or stitch the wound shut, do not reopen it to check inside.
• Do not take leftover or borrowed antibiotics, and do not start an antibiotic on your own.
• Do not let the dog lick the wound, and do not punish the animal in front of it — separate the two calmly.
• Do not share the injured person's towel, cup or cutlery.
• Do not settle the tetanus or rabies question from memory or from the internet. That is what the visit is for.

4) When to stop home care

Go to emergency care now. Call your local emergency number now and go to the emergency department if any one of these is true:

• bleeding that soaks through the dressing, or does not slow down with firm, direct pressure held for ten minutes
• the fingertip, or the skin beyond the bite, turning pale, grey, blue or cold
• numbness or tingling, or being unable to bend or straighten a finger
• a deep, gaping bite, or a puncture wound whose bottom you cannot see
• swelling or redness spreading quickly, or pain getting worse fast
• pus, a red streak running from the wound, or a hot swollen hand with fever or shaking chills
• the person feeling faint, pale or clammy, or the hand swelling rapidly
• the bite on the face, the neck, near the eye, or over a joint

Same-day clinic review (rather than the emergency department):

• the wound has grit, dirt or animal hair in it, or the edges are closing over the dirt
• swelling, redness or pain is increasing hour by hour
• the animal was wild, a stray, or you cannot tell whether it is vaccinated — say so at the visit and report it to the local public health service the same day; do not wait for symptoms
• you cannot get a slot today — try urgent care or the out-of-hours service, and if no same-day door will see you, go to the emergency department

5) What to say

To the clinic or urgent-care line:

> "Animal bite on the hand, the skin is broken. It happened [time, date] at [place]. I rinsed it with clean water and soap and covered it at [time]; the bleeding has stopped / is still seeping slightly. The animal is [our dog / a neighbour's dog / a stray], and it is [vaccinated — I can bring the record / I do not know]. My last tetanus injection was around [year]. No known allergies; I take [medicines]. The pain is [0–10] and the swelling is [spreading / not spreading]. I would like a same-day wound assessment, and I want to ask about tetanus and rabies risk."

If they cannot see you today, ask:

> "Then where should I go today, and what should I watch for overnight?"

For whoever is in the house with you tonight:

> "The bite broke the skin. It is rinsed and covered. The clinic is [when, where]. If the redness spreads, if there is pus or fever, or if the hand goes numb, pale or cold, call emergency services. Here is the photo and the clinic number."

6) What a good next twenty-four hours looks like

• The hand is no more swollen and no more painful than at bedtime, or a little better.
• The redness stays within the wound edges, with no hard red line running up the arm.
• No pus, no bad smell, no fever, no chills.
• The dressing stays clean and secure, and all the fingers still bend and grip.
• The wound has been seen, or has a booked slot with a date and a time. That is tonight's real target, and it is what makes the watch safe.

None of this promises the wound is clean or infection-free. It means nothing is getting worse and the right door is open. This is guidance for the night, not a diagnosis.

Not covered here, and deliberately left to the clinician: whether a tetanus booster or rabies vaccine is needed, which antibiotic (if any) is right, and any dose — all of that depends on this animal's record, this wound and where you live.

Source: rch-cpg https://www.rch.org.au/clinicalguide/guideline_index/Lacerations/

One thing I need from you: your town or area and your country, so I can point you at the right same-day door where you are — out-of-hours GP, urgent care or emergency department — and give you the local emergency number to keep by the phone. And if the bite is on the child or the elder in the house rather than on you, tell me, because the same-day rule is even firmer there. If you would rather read this in another language, say which one and I will repeat it.