Dog Bite

Tuesday morning found me at an urgent care center for a dog bite. The PA (physician's assistant) was impressed with the lack of swelling, noting that dog bites almost always get infected.

Two days earlier, I took in a stray dog walking by my house. When I've done this in the past, I've posted pictures of the dog online and heard from the owner within a few hours. Not so with this dog--he must have been dumped.

The next day, he and my dog got into a scrap over a food bowl and when I tried to push him away, he bit me. Have I mentioned the dog is an American bully, weighing about 50 pounds? It broke the skin and made my hand sore--I'm lucky it wasn't worse. Sometimes I have more courage than sense.

The PA didn't recommend a rabies shot even though I don't know whether the dog is vaccinated. She did recommend a tetanus shot, since my last one was just over 10 years ago, and wrote a prescription for Augmentin (an antibiotic). I got the tetanus shot but haven't filled the prescription for the antibiotic because the wound hasn't gotten infected. I rinsed my hand under running water for a few minutes and put on Neosporin and L. reuteri/B. coagulans yogurt. L. reuteri bacteria create bacteriocins (antibacterial agents) and helps speed healing. Later I added juice from a Biotiquest Ideal Immunity recipe I ferment.

Eating collagen and taking hyaluronic acid, which thicken your skin, might have helped keep the wounds from being deeper--the skin wasn't broken on the sorest part of my hand. I'm also glad I've regained a lot of grip strength in the past few years. Imagine what would have happened to my hand if it had been mostly bones and thin skin.

The dog has been sweeter than the blossoms on the trees aside from biting me. Oddly, I'm sad that he has to go. He's still here (confined to the enclosed porch) because Friday is the earliest appointment I could get to turn him over to Indianapolis Animal Care Services. I even called them and told them that he bit me, but they said it might be days before the police and an animal control officer could be sent out. If they show up tomorrow when I'm at work, who knows if they might take my dog into custody if he happens to be in the yard.

What to do about strays in the future? On the one hand, I want people and their dogs reunited. But I don't want to take care of another potentially vicious dog for a week.

Comments

Lowcarb team member said…

That was good of you to take in a stray dog, but the dog bite could have been so much worse.
I hope it is picked up okay on Friday.

All the best Jan

May 18, 2023

Lori Miller said…

Indeed. A Marion County sheriff's deputy recently died in a dog attack. https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/adult-dies-child-injured-dog-bite-east-indianapolis/531-fc737e97-5c7f-43f6-bbdd-76eab7cb0fad

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