No stitches for dogbites?

[Ted]

In my volunteer time, I deal with a lot of dogs. Most of them are extremely peaceful creatures who want nothing but to be loved. Some of them are grumpy, especially after a long day of being in an airplane or when trying to get them into a cage (or sometimes out of). I've been bitten, scratched, etc. They've been puncture wounds, generally not anything larger than 1/4" but they have been at times. I also have a scar on my right hand that's about 3" long from a cat scratch (funny how cats don't want to get into a cardboard box).

Washed them clean, disinfected as appropriate, bandaged as appropriate and/or needed, no issues. The human body is pretty well built.

 

[TMetzinger]

Washed them clean, disinfected as appropriate, bandaged as appropriate and/or needed, no issues. The human body is pretty well built.

The Flying Spaghetti Monster is an Intelligent Designer....

 

[Ted]

The Flying Spaghetti Monster is an Intelligent Designer....

You can take that view, or you can view that if we'd been much more frail than we are, we wouldn't have survived otherwise. This is one of my concerns with certain levels of modern medicine and its long-term effects on the strength of the human gene pool, but that's another matter.

 

[DeeG]

True - but I still find it amazing that a sink full of dirty dishes, bacteria, and disease is less harmful than a dog bite.

Not a Doc, but one would guess that when someone washes dishes, its in a sink full of hot water with soap in it. That combo would usually kill most bacterias.

Me and serrated knives have a love/hate relationship. I have sliced myself open 6 times in the last three years with them. Usually when I'm washing dishes. Last time was with a freshly sharpened bread knife. That was the only time I thought it best to see a Dr. (left index finger, top joint to just under the nail bed). Eight stitches. Except for the numb lump on the side of my finger, you can't tell.

 

[wabower]

Ross Perot gets his hair cut at the same shop I use. not as much there now.

True - but I still find it amazing that a sink full of dirty dishes, bacteria, and disease is less harmful than a dog bite.

FWIW, she removed her own stitches 3 days ago, and all is almost healed now.

Perhaps the difference is that it was a gash and not a puncture?