rat bites...WARNING graphic bloody pics

[Shelley]

Ouch! Infected bites can be very dangerous. I got bitten by a feral kitten the other day and have been keeping a close eye on it - no redness, swelling, or pain so it seems fine. I've seen the aftermath of an infected bite twice - two people I know had to be on an IV. (one from a dog bite, the other from a cat). I got bit by a dog once, had to be put on antibiotics.

If you think it's not right, or there is a lot of pain, redness or swelling, please go see a doctor.

 

[Cigar]

Ouch! Infected bites can be very dangerous. I got bitten by a feral kitten the other day and have been keeping a close eye on it - no redness, swelling, or pain so it seems fine.

You're very lucky! Cat bites tend to heal best if they bleed alot. I hope it continues to get better.

 

[Rachael]

Not gone to the doctors, I've got pain relief and ibuprofen if it doesn't help, I'll go.

 

[smilez_n_hugs]

I'm not quite sure why you keep putting off going to the doctors. I personally have been lucky enough to not have dealt with rat bites but you have had many people tell you you should see a doctor so why are you risking possible infection or even permenant damage?

 

[Rachael]

My bite is healing and I'm on medicine anyway, what else would they give me?

 

[Marylou]

My bite is healing and I'm on medicine anyway, what else would they give me?

Send us Grandma's an updated photo to make us feel better :0)

 

[Rachael]

I'll get one asap

 

[kmom]

i've never been bitten by a rat before. i WAS bitten by a chipmunk when i was a kid though...


he used to climb up on people's laps and take peanuts from our hands on the porch.... so silly me i was like ten and decided to pet him.


yeaaahhh he didn't like that too much. :giggle:

 

[Argent]

I'm so lucky to have never been bitten by a rat. Even whilst holding them while the vet pops abcesses/does skin scrapings etc. Even when I was passing babies to a terrified and very sick rescue mom, Truffle. She lunged at me to give me a warning bite for touching her bubs, caught my finger between her teeth but didn't grab on tight enough to break the skin - I've never felt so lucky! I was an idiot!

Worst thing that happened to me was getting my nan's cat's claw through my finger when I was little. She was only trying to play with me but I was convinced she was evil after that and should avoid all cats. I know that's not the case anymore and since then have been extra cautious of animal body language. Because of this, I've managed to be around all kinds of horses, dogs, rats, cats etc and avoid being bitten.

Also, brilliant advice with the pressure/ibuprofen! I'll keep that in mind because I'll probably swell up like a balloon when the inevitable happens! You can't have animals and expect to NEVER get bitten They're animals for goodness sake

 

[Marylou]

Argent stated: Also, brilliant advice with the pressure/ibuprofen! I'll keep that in mind because I'll probably swell up like a balloon when the inevitable happens! You can't have animals and expect to NEVER get bitten They're animals for goodness sake >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I tend to be sensitive to this subject as I own Rottweilers, and although I agree with this, to a point, it is this that causes Breed Specific legislation, and the banning of breeds of dogs.

I could see a kid getting bit by someones rat and this could be blown out of proportion and the next thing you know, rats are banned as pets.

30 years ago, when I started owning Rotties, I would have never thought in my dreams that they would ever be banned from cities, and yet they are. So please understand why I tend to be of the school of thought that even though, they are animals, we don't want to ever take biting too lightly...

 

[toby]

ouch even looking at these bites is painful.

 

[Teri]

hehe it hurts doesn't it?

i got bitten early hours friday and i'm feeling really sick from it??
http://i46.tinypic.com/wb3mnt.jpg -->> graphic?

Something I learned after a "human bite" on my 16 year old son is that you NEVER want to close up an animal or human bite, it needs to drain because the bacteria can not drain if it is stitched up. They told us that in the emergency room. May want to soak it in epsom salts also.

 

[ryelle]

Human bites are way worse than animal bites as far as bacteria and such :sick2:

 

[Moon]

Argent stated: Also, brilliant advice with the pressure/ibuprofen! I'll keep that in mind because I'll probably swell up like a balloon when the inevitable happens! You can't have animals and expect to NEVER get bitten They're animals for goodness sake >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I tend to be sensitive to this subject as I own Rottweilers, and although I agree with this, to a point, it is this that causes Breed Specific legislation, and the banning of breeds of dogs.

I could see a kid getting bit by someones rat and this could be blown out of proportion and the next thing you know, rats are banned as pets.

30 years ago, when I started owning Rotties, I would have never thought in my dreams that they would ever be banned from cities, and yet they are. So please understand why I tend to be of the school of thought that even though, they are animals, we don't want to ever take biting too lightly...

If we can't make people see that a dog nipping a toddler is a defense mechanism, not the actions of a vicious creature but poor supervision by adults, then all dogs breeds will eventually be at risk. But that's an argument for another thread and we probably shouldn't hijack this one for the time being.

To me, accepting that you'll eventually get a tooth from a pet doesn't necessarily mean we're talking about an intentional bite. I've accepted that my rats will bite me at some point, and usually from them being overzealous about treats, LOL

 

[Cait]

Yeah I've recieved a tetanus shot because I was bitten by a human... But hey it also covers you for a bit, so no need to rush to the ER every time I get bitten anymore.

I recently got bitten by a cat (Wal Mart parking lot cat... evil) and I have to say I was scared out of my WITS. You always hear how cat bites can get pretty henious... But that was like 2 weeks ago and I can only see the place where it's bottom teeth got me. So it's healed nicely.

 

[minnow]

Lucky.

When my cat bit me, I spent weeks going back and forth to the hospital for IV antibiotics, rang in the new year in a hospital bed, and through all this I couldn't wash my hair (right hand in a splint, left arm with a heparin lock (I think) at the bend of the elbow - I could barely feed myself) and my husband couldn't help because he had a broken wrist. I also had to do minor physical therapy to get the range of motion back in my thumb. And the people at the hospital were saying I was lucky. This all happened even though I started taking antibiotics before I had any signs of infection.

I love my cat, but I will *never* try to bathe him again without kevlar gloves.

 

[Maple]

Nasty bites........Zooy that bite was very close to the eye, did it effect you vision at all?

 

[Fidget]

Well, if a person wanting to consider a rat as a pet and sees this, they sure will change their mind.
I have never seen a rat bite that gross.

I'm kind of a lurker, but I just had to respond to this comment because it's rather silly.
Anyone who considers any type of pet should know that owning any kind of animal is a risk. The majority of pets can be trained and handled to prevent them from biting, and as I have seen in stories on this forum, many are able to train biters out of the act, but it could happen anytime, even from a pet who is never aggressive because of a certain situation.
Dogs bite, cats scratch & bite, horses bite & kick, hamsters/mice/ferrets/whatever as well. In reality, anybody anywhere considering any type of animal as a companion could change their mind based on the risk that the animal could possibly cause some harm.
If someone is considering rats and changes their mind because a rat could bite them, then they may as well throw out the idea of owning a pet at all.

Big hugs to you Tuesday, that's some common sense there. I feel pretty safe in saying it's never the critters that fail the humans, it's the humans that fail the critters. You aren't about to fail any.

 

[Rachael]

The bite is almost completely healed now.

 

[Marylou]

Ratlovecute, so glad to hear your wound has healed...