Case Study 2

A 3-year-old girl arrives at the clinic accompanied by her parents. The family has a dog that bit the girl, and she has bite wounds on her hand and ear. The ear is torn, but it is not actively bleeding. The hand has three puncture wounds in the soft tissue, none of which are actively bleeding. However, bruising is noted on the hand around the area of the puncture wounds. The parents report that the bite occurred within the last 45 minutes.

Case Questions

Would these wounds be classified as low-risk or high-risk for infection? Explain.
What should the practitioner ask the family about the dog?
What objective assessments should the practitioner complete?
How should the wounds be managed?
If the dogs rabies vaccination is not current, what should the practitioner do?
What patient education should be included?