While we all love dogs, not all dogs are as cuddly and cute as you might assume. Whether it’s the dog’s fault or not, many people are bitten by dogs every day around the US. Unfortunately, some of these attacks lead to serious injuries. Being aware of a dog’s emotional state, and respecting their personal space, can help you prevent these types of tragic dog bite accidents. Here are the ten most common injuries that result from dog bite attacks:
1. Nerve Damage
Because dog bites can sink deep into your skin, the chance of nerve damage occurring from a severe bite is quite high. Nerve damage can affect your mobility, ability to heal, and your day-to-day life (for the rest of your life). Additionally, nerve damage is incredibly painful, making it one of the worst types of injuries that can result from a dog bite attack. If you’re injured by a dog bite, you should contact a dog bite attorney in your area ASAP.
2. Facial Injuries
Aggressive dogs are often known to follow their instincts. Unfortunately, this means that your face and neck are often a primary target. If you find yourself in the middle of a dog attack, you should protect your face and neck at all costs. Doing so can help protect you from severe (or even deadly) injuries, and help you escape the attack more quickly as well. Being respectful of a dog’s space, and watching for aggressive behavior signs, can help you stay safe.
3. Scarring
Scarring can result from many of the injuries on this list. While scarring is not always painful (although scar tissue can sometimes result in nearby pain and nerve damage), it is mentally stressful for victims. The remainder of the attack, and the physical, hard-to-reverse damage to your body can cause psychological distress. Getting immediate care post-attack can help reduce the chance of your injuries leading to scarring, however.
4. Emotional Injuries
As we mentioned above, not all injuries people experience during or after dog attacks are purely physical. Emotional and psychological damage is common after being a victim of a dog attack. After all, dogs are meant to be our best friends, so when we’re harmed by one, it can be difficult to move on, and our relationship with other dogs might be damaged as a result.
5. Eye Injuries
When a dog goes for your face during an attack, your eyes are the most vulnerable area that may be bitten. Eye injuries are serious, hard to reverse, and extremely painful. In extreme cases, you may become blind from a dog bite. The human eye is incredibly vulnerable, so it does not take much pressure or force to severely damage, or destroy an eye. Socket damage is also incredibly common.
6. Broken Bones
While many people may not realize it, dogs can exert a lot of pressure when they bite you. Even small dogs can cause serious damage if they bite you using all of their strength. When it comes to larger dogs, especially dogs over 50 lbs, the amount of pressure their jaws can assert becomes much higher. Due to this, dog bites are frequently connected to broken bones, fractures, and other bone issues.
7. Tissue Damage
Alongside broken bones, dog bites can break through the skin, and cause severe tissue damage. Not only will this require stitches, surgeries, or other expensive medical procedures, but the pain level of tissue damage is difficult to overstate. It also takes a long time for tissue damage to heal, which makes it much more connected to additional psychological stress post-dog attack.
8. Neck Injuries
When a dog goes to attack you, it often ends up attacking your face or body. However, if they are truly going for a “kill,” then they are likely to aim for your neck. They understand how vulnerable other living beings’ necks are on an instinctual level, and will use this built-in knowledge to maximize the damage of their attack. Neck injuries are often much more deadly than any other injury type on this list.
9. Lacerations
Alongside deep tissue damage, lacerations are a common injury people experience during a dog bite attack. Lacerations are also known for being extremely painful, and can cause debilitating pain immediately after they occur. Getting medical help ASAP can help you prevent scarring, and will allow you to receive desperately needed pain treatment in a timely fashion as well.
10. Bruising
Although bruising is the least serious injury on this list, it is still worth mentioning, as bruising is often much more painful, and damaging, than many people assume. Deep bruising can even cause long-term and even life-long issues in some cases. Nursing can be debilitating, and prevent people from being able to work as well.
