Dog Bite, Diseases & Allergies

Dog Bite

A dog is a lovely and loyal friend for life but what if the dog is not yours and the dog feels threatened by you, and thus, goes into an offensive in neutralizing the threat. The dog won't do anything out of the normal for it is instinctively programmed to follow its territorial instinct and effectively, to the best of its understanding, deal with any threat to its idea of its territory. Dog's behaviour may be justified but that won't lessen the pain that you experience as it bites you and as its teeth sink into your skin.

Big dogs have astonishing strength in their bone crushing jaws. The little ones are blessed with needle sharp teeth which can very easily puncture your exposed skin. Both can cause rabies which if untreated is a life threatening condition.

How to deal with such an eventuality? It is easy.

First just follow the following rules so as not to create the circumstances of getting bitten by a dog

1. Don't ever tease a dog even if it is your own or even if you know it well.

2. Don't look straight into the eyes of an unknown dog or an aggressive dog.

3. Don't try to meddle with a dog which is peacefully eating food or treat.

4. Don't inflict physical pain upon the dog while being in its biting range.

5. Don't run on seeing a dog unless you are sure of running faster than it.

6. Don't treat the dog as a soft toy unless you are sure of its temperament.

7. Don't hurt the puppy of a mother dog (bitch) with malicious intent.

8. Don't provoke a dog over which you have no command and control.

9. Don't startle a dog without any cause or reason and just for fun.

10. Don't threaten the master or a pack/ family member of the dog.

Secondly, inspite of all your preparations if you are bitten by a dog, then do the following

1. Wash the wound with soap and warm water.

2. Apply a disinfectant or antiseptic like Dettol.

3. Rush to the doctor for an anti rabies injection.

4. Trace the owner of the dog and enquire whether the dog was vaccinated.

5. Keep a track of the dog for at least 10 days minimum to see whether the dog remains without rabies.

6. Above all do not panic and don't attack the dog unless as a defensive act.

7. Don't meditate upon revenge for you are not a dog and no need to prove otherwise.

8. Follow meticulously any injection/ treatment schedule advised by the doctor.

9. Dog bite can be fatal, therefore, in case of eminent threat use pre-emptive force to prevent the bite from happening.

10. Don't panic for once you are bitten you can't undo it but only ensure adequate medical treatment for yourself and do ask the owner of the dog to bear the expenses of the treatment.

Zoonotic Diseases

These are the diseases that can infect us because of being near to a dog, coming in contact with a dog, sharing living space and eatables with a dog, allowing the dog to lick us liberally especially in the mouth. There are parasites which can travel from the dog to our body and infest us with many diseases.

Cleanliness and hygiene is the key to prevent most of the diseases. The dog has a propensity to explore garbage because of the strong rotting smell. Garbage is also a ripe source of disease. Don't allow your dog the opportunity of rolling in the garbage dump and you will not welcome diseases into your house hold.

Paranoia is not the solution but a pragmatic approach is the way out. A dog is not a disease but it may cause a disease. That way we may also get many infectious diseases from another human being but that doesn't stop us from seeking company. The ultra violet rays of the Sun can give us skin cancer and so can too much of air travel above the protective layer of clouds. Even the air that we breathe can be a mix of pollutants which may kill us before our time. That doesn't mean that we start living inside an airtight bubble.

A strict no will be to eat the food which is eaten or licked or touched by the dog, to somehow allow dog droll to enter our mouth or any open wound or cut, to touch dog poop with bare hand, to live with a dog which is home to fleas, ticks and worms, to allow a dog which is not vaccinated to bite us even playfully.

Allergies

Our immune system reacts to certain external stimulus as a threat and goes into an overdrive. That causes an allergy. Some people may be allergenic to the fur of a dog and its saliva. It is not there fault or intention but it is simply the way nature chose them to be. A dog mustn't be forced upon such people.

A pet parent or a dog lover mustn't treat them as an enemy but as a helpless victim of their own immune reaction. Their heart may be full of love but they won't be able to express that for their allergic body won't allow them that. If anybody shows medical proof of being allergic to dogs, then immediately the dog must be removed from his/ her presence.

Cynophobia

A phobia is a fear which results from an unpleasant past experience. Fear of a dog or dogs in general is known as cynophobia. As a child if we were bitten by a dog or if we were chased by a dog or if in any way we felt severely threatened by a dog, then we may grow up to be someone suffering from cynophobia.

A dog with its canine exposed looks like a veritable monster from Hell. I love dogs but I won't feel comfortable if face-to-face with a large dog in biting proximity showing me aggressively its large and menacing canines. Who would want to be faced with a monster? Nobody. In such a circumstance fear is inevitable for I won't want to get a dog bite. This fear is compounded many times in the heart of those who have a traumatic past experience because of a dog's aggression.

The best way to cure the heart of that fear is to spend some time with a puppy. Puppies are adorable and nobody can feel threatened by their warm and affectionate nature. Further, there are certain breeds which are more people friendly than others. Exposing oneself to such breeds will also erase the fear from our heart.

Fear in our heart is essential for our well-being and survival but too much of it is a hindrance to our personality from realizing its true potential. So, it is okay to be afraid of an aggressive dog which is snarling at us and showing an intention to bite. However, it is absolutely not okay to be afraid of the very proposition or possibility of coming in contact with a dog or finding oneself in the presence of a dog. Fear ruins our confidence and a phobia crushes it till we are just a jittery husk harbouring low self esteem.

Confidence doesn't come from facing an aggressive canine but it comes from the belief that unless a dog is mad or trained to do attack or threatened or in pain for some reason, it won't do us any harm and there is no reason to fear it.