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. Any type of infection, including from animal bites, can lead to sepsis.
In the United States, an estimated 4.5 million dog bites and 400,000 cat bites occur each year to both adults and children. Children, especially very young ones, are most commonly bitten, even with dogs that they’re familiar with and have interacted with before without incident. There are no statistics on other types of animal bites or scratches.
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. 2026. https://www.sepsis.org/sepsisand/animal-bites/
Reviewed July 8, 2026.
