Treatment Plan

Treatment Plan (For All Different Types Of Bites) Conservative:

• Wound irrigation
• Foreign body removal
• Encourage bleeding
• Consider debridement
• Wound dressing
• Analgesia

Antibiotics:

• Prophylaxis: Co-amoxiclav 3 days If penicillin allergic:
  • <12 years old: Co-trimoxazole 3 days
  • >12 years old: Doxycycline + Metronidazole 3 days
• If the wound is infected, take a sample and treat w/ antibiotics, but this time for 5 days (admit if systemically unwell)

Rabies exposure:

• Treatment within 24hrs
• Vaccine schedule: days 0,3,7,21
• Consider rabies immunoglobulin in the first week

Follow-up:

• Review within 24-48hrs

Complications

• Psychological: anxiety, PTSD, trauma, avoidance, self-esteem issues
• Structural: disfigurement, amputation, joint/neurovascular/tendon damage
• Infections: rabies, tetanus, cat-scratch disease, syphilis