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Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Prevention and Risk Factors
• Treatments and Therapies

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Research

• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

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Summary

Wild animals usually avoid people. They might attack, however, if they feel threatened, are sick, or are protecting their young or territory. Attacks by pets are more common. Animal bites rarely are life-threatening, but if they become infected, you can develop serious medical problems.

To prevent animal bites and complications from bites:

• Never pet, handle, or feed unknown animals
• Leave snakes alone
• Watch your children closely around animals
• Vaccinate your cats, ferrets, and dogs against rabies
• Spay or neuter your dog to make it less aggressive
• Get a tetanus booster if you have not had one recently
• Wear boots and long pants when you are in areas with venomous snakes

If an animal bites you, clean the wound with soap and water as soon as possible. Get medical attention if necessary.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Start Here

• Cat and Dog Bites (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
• Treatment for Animal Bites (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish

Prevention and Risk Factors

• Dog Bite Prevention (American Veterinary Medical Association)
• Travelers' Health: Zoonotic Exposures -- Bites, Stings, Scratches, and Other Hazards (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Treatments and Therapies

• Animal Bites: First Aid (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Jellyfish Stings, First Aid (VisualDX)
• Snakebites: First Aid (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish

Images

• Animal bite - first aid - series--Procedure, part 1 (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Venomous snakes - series -- Rattlesnake (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Bites and Stings (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Snake Bites (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Assessing the clinical management and outcomes of venomous marine animal injuries...
• Article: Advances in Jellyfish Sting Mechanisms and Treatment Strategies.
• Article: Myriapods (Diplopoda and Chilopoda): medical aspects of envenomations.
• Animal Bites -- see more articles

Find an Expert

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Also in Spanish

Patient Handouts

• Animal bites - self-care (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Marine animal stings or bites (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Snake bites (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish