If you don't get a tetanus shot after a dog bite you put yourself at risk of developing tetanus through the open wound.
Although tetanus itself is not contagious from the dog to you, but the Clostridium tetani bacteria that causes tetanus can be transmitted through the dog bite, especially if it's a deep puncture wound.
Tetanus is a severe and potentially fatal infection and the bacteria that causes tetanus is in soil and can enter your body through an open wound from the bite, which can lead to symptoms like muscle spasms, stiffness and lockjaw.
Without a tetanus shot, you're more vulnerable to developing tetanus and so a doctor can assess your risk of tetanus and provide treatment if your tetanus shots and immunizations are not up to date or if the wound is too deep.
After a dog bite an infection often sets in within 8 hours to 3 days, although some infections and bacteria from a dog bite may cause symptoms to appear as early as 24 hours to 48 hours after the dog bite.
Signs of an infection after a dog bite include increased redness, swelling and pain, which can appear rapidly.
A specific infection from a dog bite called Capnocytophaga, might have a longer onset, with symptoms appearing 3 days to 5 days later.
In some cases a dog bite may not become infected, but you should always promptly treat the dog bite and cleanse the area thoroughly and watch for any signs of infection and seek medical attention if it's severe or becoming infected.
Or if the dog has rabies or you're unsure if the dog has rabies you should seek medical attention, to be safe.
Rabies symptoms in humans typically appear within 3 weeks to 8 weeks, although the incubation period of rabies in humans can range from a few days to several years.
Early symptoms of rabies in humans are flu like symptoms, followed by neurological symptoms like confusion, muscle spasms and paralysis.
Rabies is a serious condition and is almost always fatal in humans, without prompt medical treatment.
So it's important that you get treatment and vaccinated before the symptoms of rabies appear as once the symptoms appear the rabies can be fatal and lead to death within a few days or so.
The rabies virus attacks the central nervous system and causes severe brain swelling and while treatment for rabies is available before the symptoms appear, there's currently no effective cure for rabies in humans once the symptoms do appear.
To tell if a dog has rabies, observe the dog and look for symptoms of rabies like changes in the dog's behavior, excessive drooling, paralysis, aggression and even foaming at the mouth.
One of the common symptoms of a dog with rabies, in the later stages of the condition is foaming at the mouth.
When dogs are in the later stages of rabies, dogs will often foam at the mouth, although foaming at the mount is not seen in all cases of dogs with rabies.
The foaming at the mouth when dogs have rabies is caused by paralysis of the dog's jaw and throat muscles, which make it difficult for the dog to swallow and results in excessive drooling.
Other symptoms of a dog having rabies include difficulty swallowing and seizures.
Rabies affects the dogs nervous system, so eventually the rabies cause paralysis in the dogs throat and jaw m
The muscle paralysis from rabies makes it impossible for the dog to swallow, which results in a buildup of saliva that comes out as drool or foam.
Other signs of rabies in dogs is aggression, agitation, or uncharacteristic affection, seizures, lack of muscle control and paralysis and sometimes a fear of water.
While a fear of water is not always present in dogs with rabies, it is also another symptom of rabies disease.
Rabies disease in dogs is a fatal viral disease that affects a dog's brain and spinal cord.
Rabies in dogs is mainly transmitted through saliva of an infected animal, most commonly through a bite.
Symptoms of rabies progress rapidly and include behavioral changes, like the aggression, paralysis and difficulty swallowing as mentioned above.
The rabies in dogs can lead to death within 10 days of the first signs.
Keeping dogs up to date on their rabies vaccines can keep them safe prevent rabies as there is no cure for rabies once they get it.
If you've been bitten by a dog and think they have rabies you should seek medical attention to be safe.
Rabies can also be fatal in humans and can be transmitted from the dog to the human through a dog bite.