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3 Uncommon Symptoms Of A Dog Bite

29 August 2016

Mattie Bennett

If you have ever been bitten by a dog, then you're probably well acquainted with the pain, redness, bruising, and perhaps bleeding associated with the bite. While these are the most common manifestations, there are other, less common symptoms that you may develop. While most bites heal uneventfully, you may want to consider hiring a dog bite attorney if you have sustained lasting effects from your animal encounter. Here are 3 uncommon symptoms of a dog bite and what you can do about them:

Bladder Incontinence

If you sustain a dog bite to your abdominal or pelvic area, the injury may affect your ureters or bladder. If the bite is strong enough, it may cause swelling of the ureters and bladder, leading to incontinence, or involuntary loss of urine.

While traumatic causes of urinary incontinence are usually temporary and resolve once swelling of the soft tissue diminishes, leakage or urinary dribbling may persist. If you have suffered a dog bite in your abdominal or pelvic region and are now incontinent of urine, wearing special undergarments will help absorb any accidents. Also, your doctor can prescribe medication to help slow down bladder contractions and improve bladder elasticity so that your episodes of incontinence are less frequent.

Taste and Smell Disorders

Facial dog bites can result in damage to your cranial nerves, such as the olfactory nerve and the facial, or 7th cranial, nerve. If you sustain a traumatic injury to your olfactory nerve, you may develop a condition known as anosmia, which refers to the inability to smell.

This condition can be temporary or permanent, and while causes of anosmia such as infection are often temporary, causes related to traumatic events such as a dog bite may be permanent. If your doctor believes that you have a smell or taste disorder related to a dog bite, you may be referred to a neurologist who will evaluate your facial nerves and recommend an effective treatment plan to help restore your senses. 

Systemic Inflammation

Dog bites, or any trauma that occurs to your soft tissues, can result in systemic inflammation. When you get bit by a dog, especially if it results in an infection, your body releases chemicals known as cytokines.

When these substances are released into your blood stream, their pro-inflammatory effects can lead to pain in your muscles, joints, and bones, and may even cause fevers, loss of appetite, cardiovascular problems, and kidney dysfunction.

If you get bit by a dog and notice persistent redness, pain, drainage, or a red line that extends out from the bite, see your doctor. These may be signs of infection and you may need to be treated with a course of oral antibiotics. 

If you sustain a dog bite and develop any of the above conditions, work with both your physician and dog bite attorney. If it is determined that you have developed long-term disability related to your injury, your doctor and lawyer may decide to move forward with a lawsuit. Contact a firm like Scherline And Associates for more information.

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