Level Three:
A level three bite is when things start to become more serious. In this type of bite, the dog’s teeth break the victim’s skin and leave bloody marks behind. There are two subcategories within level three to differentiate between single bites and multiple bites, but if these bites are shallower than the length of the dog’s canine teeth, it falls into level three. These bites, while painful and traumatic, are not usually serious as far as physical injury goes. However, ey can transmit germs and diseases. As a result, it is best to seek medical attention after any dog bite that breaks the skin to ensure there is no chance of illness or infection.
Level One:
When a dog snaps at the air in front of a human or another dog, that is a level one bite. This type of bite actually has no contact with the skin, but is rather a warning from the biting dog. A level one snap like this often occurs when a dog is put into a situation where it is frightened or cornered and wants the human or dog causing this distress to back away.
Dog Bite Injuries Don’t Always Show Right Away
While some injuries are obvious immediately following the bite, there are other injuries that may not show right away, such as an infection. According to the Center for Disease Control, infections occur in 20% of all dog bites and are typically discovered when a lump forms under the skin.
Infections from dog bites are not only dangerous because of the bacteria they contain, but because sometimes they can take days or weeks to show up. In this time the bacteria could be working its way through your body, potentially causing serious damage.
The very best way to prevent a lump from forming under your skin after a dog bite is to immediately see a doctor after the event occurs. This way a doctor can prescribe you antibiotics before the symptoms of an infection ever start showing, helping you to avoid the infection all-together. Often times when people get bit by a dog it doesn’t seem too serious, so they either just leave the wound or take minimum care, such as just rinsing it out. While there are things you can put on a dog bite, simply rinsing out a wound does not remove all the bacteria. The only 100% way to remove an infection or fight an infection before it occurs, is through antibiotics.