Start by washing the wound thoroughly with soap and water, then assess whether you need professional medical care. Most dog bites can be managed at home if they’re shallow, but deeper wounds, bites to the hands or face, and bites from unknown dogs all warrant a trip to urgent care or the emergency room. About 98% of people treated for dog bites in emergency departments are released the same day, so even when professional care is needed, the process is usually straightforward.
Immediate First Aid Steps
If the bite is bleeding heavily, apply firm pressure with a clean cloth or bandage until the bleeding slows. Once it’s under control, wash the wound with soap and running water for at least five minutes. This is the single most important thing you can do to reduce infection risk. Dog mouths carry dozens of bacterial species, and thorough washing physically flushes them out before they can establish themselves in the tissue.
After washing, pat the area dry and apply a thin layer of antibiotic ointment if you have it. Cover the wound with a clean bandage. For the next several days, clean the wound daily with soap and water and replace the bandage each time.
When You Need Medical Care
Not every dog bite requires a doctor, but many do. Shallow bites less than about 6 mm (a quarter inch) deep with smooth edges that stay together on their own can often heal at home with good wound care. Anything beyond that generally needs professional evaluation.
Seek medical attention if the bite:
- Is deeper than 6 mm or longer than about 2 cm (three-quarters of an inch)
- Has jagged or gaping edges
- Is on your hand, fingers, foot, or face
- Goes deep enough to expose fat, muscle, or bone
- Crosses over a joint, especially if the wound opens when you move the joint
- Won’t stop bleeding after 15 minutes of pressure
- Came from a stray, unvaccinated, or unknown dog
If you have diabetes, take immunosuppressive medications, have had your spleen removed, or have any condition that weakens your immune system, get medical care regardless of how minor the bite looks. Your body is less equipped to fight off the bacteria introduced by the bite, and doctors will typically start preventive antibiotics right away.
Stitches and Wound Closure
One of the trickier decisions with dog bites is whether to close the wound with stitches. Unlike a clean surgical cut, bite wounds are contaminated, so sealing them shut can trap bacteria inside and increase infection risk. The approach depends on where the bite is.
Most dog bites on the body and limbs can be stitched, especially if the wound is large, and most wounds that need closure should be stitched within 6 to 8 hours of the injury. Some can be closed up to 24 hours later. Bites on the face are almost always closed because of scarring concerns, and eyelid bites need stitches for both cosmetic and functional reasons.
Bites on the hands and feet are a notable exception. These carry a particularly high infection risk, and stitching them increases that risk further. Doctors typically leave hand and foot bites open to heal on their own, packing the wound and letting it close gradually from the inside out.
Antibiotics and Infection Prevention
Not all dog bites need antibiotics, but doctors commonly prescribe a short preventive course for deeper wounds, hand bites, and anyone with a weakened immune system. A typical preventive course lasts about three days. For bites that are already showing signs of infection, the course runs longer.
Even with good care, watch for signs that the wound is getting infected. The main red flag is increasing redness around the bite accompanied by worsening pain. This typically appears 8 hours to 3 days after the bite. Other warning signs include swelling, warmth radiating from the wound, pus or drainage, red streaks extending away from the bite, and fever.
A less common but serious concern is a bacterial infection from a species called Capnocytophaga, which lives in the saliva of healthy dogs. Symptoms typically begin 3 to 5 days after the bite and can include blisters around the wound, fever, diarrhea, vomiting, and confusion. This infection is rare in healthy adults but can become dangerous quickly in people with compromised immune systems.
Tetanus and Rabies Considerations
Dog bites are classified as dirty wounds because of the saliva involved, and dirty wounds have a lower threshold for needing a tetanus booster. If your last tetanus shot was five or more years ago, you’ll need a new one. If it’s been less than five years and you completed your full childhood vaccination series, you’re covered.
Rabies is the other major concern, though the risk varies enormously depending on the situation. A bite from your neighbor’s vaccinated golden retriever carries essentially no rabies risk. A bite from a stray dog with no vaccination history, or one behaving erratically, is a different story entirely. Public health officials assess each situation individually to determine whether you need post-exposure treatment.
If rabies treatment is recommended, it involves an injection of rabies immune globulin (a concentrated dose of antibodies) plus a series of four vaccine doses spread over two weeks, given on day zero, day three, day seven, and day fourteen. People with weakened immune systems receive a fifth dose on day 28. The treatment is highly effective at preventing rabies when started before symptoms appear, and there’s no strict deadline for beginning it. If there’s any question about the dog’s rabies status, try to get information about the animal. Animal control can often quarantine a known dog for 10 days to confirm it doesn’t have rabies, which may eliminate the need for treatment.
Recovery and What to Expect
Minor bites that don’t require stitches typically heal within one to two weeks. Sutured wounds heal faster on the surface but still need time for deeper tissue repair. Keep the wound clean and dry, change bandages daily, and avoid submerging it in water (showers are fine, baths and pools are not) until it’s fully closed.
Scarring depends on the bite’s location, depth, and whether it was stitched. Facial bites that are closed promptly tend to heal with minimal scarring. Bites left open to heal on their own, like hand wounds, may leave more noticeable scars but carry a lower infection risk, which is the more important tradeoff. If scarring is a concern once the wound has fully healed, a dermatologist can discuss options for minimizing its appearance.