A sharp warning

Like us, animals don’t always get on with each other! Unfortunately, the results of their disagreements can range from a warning nip to a full-blown attack or fight. As well as being traumatic and upsetting for the pets involved (and us as owners), dog and cat bites can also create nasty injuries.

When a dog or cat bites with intent, their long sharp canine teeth can penetrate deeply into the victim’s tissues.

In the case of dog bites, their powerful jaws can cause significant tissue bruising, crushing or tearing. Even with relatively simple-looking skin puncture wounds, it’s recommended to have a veterinarian assess the wounds, as:

With some bites, areas of skin may be separated from the deeper muscle tissue that it normally attaches to, creating an internal “pocket” that can easily become infected
Significant crushing damage can result in dangerous swelling (particularly around the throat) and can affect the blood supply to nearby tissues, resulting in a larger wound
Whilst cat bites tend not to cause large wounds, their sharp teeth can act like needles, “injecting” nasty mouth bacteria deep into the bitten animal’s tissues. This means that cat bite wounds very frequently develop infections, and can easily become large painful abscesses requiring surgical drainage.

If your pet has been bitten badly enough to break the skin, we advise contacting our clinic to request a prompt appointment, so that we can provide your pet with pain relief, and assess and treat their wounds further.

If your pet has been attacked and has gaping wounds or wounds that are steadily dripping blood, or if they seem to be lethargic or in significant pain, contact our team to request an urgent assessment.

With the correct support and veterinary treatment, we can help bitten pets recover from their injuries as comfortably and smoothly as possible.