Can animal bites result in an amputation?

Being bitten by an animal can be very traumatic; it can also potentially be life-threatening or life-altering. An amputation is a real possibility that you may face depending on the severity of your wounds.

Capnocytophaga is a type of bacteria often found in the mouths of cats and dogs. It can potentially infect a wound and cause severe medical issues.

Some of the common danger signs to look for following a bite include blisters around the wound within hours after the bite occurs, diarrhea, stomach pain, fever, headache, muscle or joint pain, redness, swelling, draining from the wound and vomiting.

It may take some time after the bite occurs for you to start showing signs of infection. The typical range of time for people to show symptoms of infection is three to five days, but it could take as little as one day or as long as two weeks for ill-effects to begin to appear.

A person doesn’t always have to be bitten for capnocytophaga symptoms to begin to manifest themselves. If you have been in close contact with the saliva of an animal who has capnocytophaga, then you may become infected with this condition.

Ccapnocytophaga can cause serious health complications. Some people suffer heart attacks after developing this condition. Others may develop kidney failure or even gangrene as a result of the same.

The amputation of fingers, toes, or even limbs is possible if the infection is bad enough. Three out of 10 individuals who contract a severe case of this illness die. Death can occur within 24 to 72 hours if sepsis results.

Animals bite individuals for all types of reasons. Such occurrences may happen while you’re visiting the park, zoo or a friend’s house or walking around the neighborhood. You may be able to sue to animal’s negligent owner if you’ve developed a severe medical condition due to having been bitten.

An experienced animal bites will want to know more about the events that led up to the incident here in San Mateo before letting you know what remedies that you may be able to pursue under California law.