No matter how affectionate a pet can be, bites and scratches are always a possibility when you’re dealing with animals. Cleaning the wound well and perhaps applying antibiotic ointment often takes care of it, but sometimes, these bites and scratches can result in a bacterial infection. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, there are approximately 4.5 million dog bites in the United States over a year, and almost 800,000 people need medical care due to a bite. The site notes that children are most commonly bitten, even with dogs that they are familiar with and have interacted with before without incident. There are about 400,000 cat bites each year as well, but there are no statistics on other types of animal bites or scratches. Any of these bites or scratches could lead to sepsis.
Sepsis, which was often called blood poisoning, is the body’s life-threatening response to infection. Like strokes or heart attacks, sepsis is a medical emergency that requires rapid diagnosis and treatment.
Suggested Citation:
Sepsis Alliance. Sepsis and Animal Bites. 2023. https://www.sepsis.org/sepsisand/animal-bites/
Updated November 13, 2023.
