In Illinois, when a person is bitten by someone else’s pet, that owner will often have to take financial responsibility. However, the victim is the one who will need to tend to their injuries. Unfortunately, some bites can be more dangerous than others. They may carry the risk of infection, scarring, or other health issues.
FindLaw takes a look at dog bites and animal attacks, which can leave lasting physical damage on the victim. Because of the way a dog’s teeth and jaws work, they can create puncture wounds and tears. Tears may require stitches to fix and in extreme cases can require skin grafting. Puncture wounds, however, often carry a great risk of infection. This is because the bacteria in a dog’s mouth can be injected deep below the surface of the skin, where it is harder to treat with topical ointments or washing.
Pet Poison Helpline discusses the seriousness of cat bites as well. As a matter of fact, cat bites can actually even more dangerous than dog bites. This is because cats tend to have more numerous and dangerous types of bacteria in their mouths. Additionally, their bites will almost always leave puncture wounds that can be quite deep, as opposed to the ripping or tearing that dog bites can do. Statistically, up to 50 percent of cat bites can become infected.
Regardless of what animal has bitten a person, swift action should be taken in order to prevent infection or treat it quickly. This can help mitigate some of the health-related damages that may result from the incident.